Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has pledged to sharpen the city’s competitive edge to better serve the country’s development by applying the guiding principles of the fourth plenum in everyday governance.

Lee also said the public should “thoroughly study and understand” the spirit of the fourth plenary session of the party to help promote the advancement of the nation’s modernisation.

The calls came after a seminar by senior Beijing cadres to discuss the essence of the fourth plenum, which sets the tone for the ruling Communist Party’s Central Committee’s policymaking for the next five years.

Held at the government headquarters in Admiralty, Monday’s seminar was attended by Lee, senior officials in his administration and the city’s political elites.

Speakers included Hou Jianguo, president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Zhu Weidong, deputy director of the Office of the Central Commission for Financial and Economic Affairs.

Lee said after the seminar that Hou and Zhu’s speeches gave a concise explanation of the spirit of the fourth plenary session and the importance of the 15th five-year plan recommendations.