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China’s top official on Hong Kong affairs will visit the city this week to check its alignment with the National 15th Five-Year Plan and the progress of a tech hub development in the New Territories.

Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office, will be in the city on Tuesday and Wednesday to inspect the five-year blueprint and the Northern Metropolis, the Hong Kong government said on Monday.

Xia is set to arrive one day after Hong Kong launched a two-month public consultation for the city’s first five-year plan.

During the public consultation period, residents can submit their views via a dedicated website, email or post, Chief Executive John Lee said on Tuesday. The government will also host activities to hear different views from lawmakers, industry leaders, and members of the public.

Lee said that the Hong Kong plan, led by the chief executive himself, would focus on the economy, technological development, and livelihood issues, as well as Hong Kong’s integration into China’s development.

In February, ahead of the high-profile “Two Sessions” meeting in Beijing, Lee announced that Hong Kong would launch its first five-year plan.

The Northern Metropolis is a large-scale project set to transform 30,000 hectares of land in Hong Kong’s rural areas near the border with mainland China into a tech hub, providing more homes and deepening the city’s integration with Shenzhen.

Swathes of land, including rural villages in the New Territories, will make way for the development.

Xia visited Hong Kong in June last year to attend a forum marking the fifth anniversary of the national security law.

Later in April, he delivered a recorded video speech at a National Security Education Day ceremony, warning of people who “politicised” the deadly Wang Fuk Court fire and tried to use the disaster to “stir up chaos” in Hong Kong.

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NGO Green Power has urged the Hong Kong government to better regulate ozone precursors as hot weather exacerbates air pollution across the city.

Chemical compounds – such as nitrogen oxides, methane, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) and carbon monoxide – form ground-level ozone by reacting in the lower atmosphere in the presence of sunlight. Ground-level ozone attacks and inflames lung tissue, but reducing underlying pollutants prevents harmful smog.

According to a Sunday press release, Green Power’s director, Cheng Luk-ki, said VOCs – which are emitted through oil and gas operations, petrol evaporation and chemical solvents – should be better regulated.

See also: How extreme heat became the deadliest silent killer among world weather disasters

“In the future, the public’s health may be affected by both high temperatures and air quality at the same time,” the press release said.

Last week, Hong Kong sweltered amid a days-long heatwave. Whilst rain brought some respite over the weekend, the Observatory predicts highs of 35 degrees Celsius by the end of this week.

Cooling measures for hottest areas

Green Power’s review of Hong Kong’s air quality situation in 2025 found that 15 air quality monitoring stations recorded “a total of 2,080 hours at High, Very High and Serious levels – collectively referred to as ‘High Risk (HR) hours.'”

See also: How Hong Kong’s elderly face deadly heat inside cramped cage homes

Cheng said Hong Kong was affected by a northern Chinese dust storm last April, pushing up the statistics. However, the NGO also noted that overall air quality has been improving thanks to the city’s diversification away from coal towards natural gas, as well as efforts to tighten emission standards for fuel-powered vehicles.

The director said he had analysed last summer’s Air Quality Health Index data, and found that the nine days ranked as “high risk” all saw temperatures exceeding 29 degrees Celsius, “demonstrating a strong connection between heat and air quality.”

He warned that hot weather will become more frequent, as he urged the authorities to take action in the territory’s hottest districts.

The NGO recommended cooling measures in Tuen Mun, Tai Po, North District, Yuen Long and Tung Chung, “such as increasing greenery coverage, revitalising local rivers, and incorporating more ventilation corridor designs.”

See also: How extreme heat became the deadliest silent killer among world weather disasters

Hong Kong has already warmed by 1.7 degrees Celsius since the Industrial Revolution, research NGO Berkeley Earth says. Heat and humidity may reach lethal levels for protracted periods by the end of the century, according to a 2023 study, making it impossible to stay outdoors in some parts of the world.

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