Students visit a photo exhibition for the 40th anniversary of reform and opening-up at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on Friday. (Roy Liu / China Daily)
HONG KONG - Hong Kong’s youth should seize opportunities arising from the nation’s new round of development to boost the prosperity of Hong Kong and the mainland, city leaders said on Friday.
Political and business leaders who have witnessed China’s reform and opening-up in the past 40 years were invited to a themed seminar on the nation’s past and future development. Youth involvement was a key topic.
Stanley Ng Chau-pei, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, urged local young people to ride on the back of the national development drive. This includes the development of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and Belt and Road Initiative. Young people should also learn more about the mainland, he added.
“Forty years ago there was a kind of bravery in going to the mainland, but now it has become a trend,” Ng said.
FTU has organized exchange tours to the mainland for the city’s youth, Ng noted. He said this way they could learn about the nation. It could also help them to reflect on the city’s weaknesses so as to benefit its future, suggested the FTU head.
Agreeing with Ng, Kung Chun-lung, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, urged the city’s youth not to miss opportunities provided by the Bay Area blueprint.
The development of the Bay Area includes nine cities on the mainland as well as Hong Kong and Macao with around 70 million people, providing a much broader market, Kung noted.
Discussing the city’s future, pioneering Hong Kong businesswoman Annie Wu Suk-ching, said she had great hopes for the younger generation.
Wu advised young people to think outside of the box; they should not impose too many restrictions on themselves. She suggested they leverage Hong Kong’s advantages and seek opportunities around the world.
Social responsibility and national identity were also vital, Wu stressed. “Young people should think about how to do more for society and the country,” she concluded.
kathyzhang@chinadailyhk.com
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