Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan Kwok-ki concluded on Thursday his two-day visit to Beijing to learn from the country's rich experience in patriotic education and how to better enhance patriotic education in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

Chan visited the capital with Convenor of the Working Group on Patriotic Education Starry Lee Wai-king and called on the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Ministry of Education, and to visit the Museum of the Communist Party of China, according to an HKSAR government statement.  

They learned about the country's experience in implementing the Patriotic Education Law of the People's Republic of China, which will be helpful in devising and implementing strategies on patriotic education that suit the circumstances of Hong Kong, the statement said.  

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It added that the aim is to build and foster mainstream values characterized by patriotism with affection for the country and Hong Kong and enable the spirit of patriotism to take root in society and people's hearts.

On Wednesday, Chan and other delegates met with Vice-Minister of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Hu Heping, who is in charge of the department's daily operations, to exchange views on taking forward patriotic education in the SAR and on the Chinese mainland.

Chan said that the HKSAR government established the Working Group on Patriotic Education in April with four sub-groups set up to strengthen patriotic education on all fronts in Hong Kong.

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He pointed out that the long history and profound cultural heritage of the country have laid a solid foundation for the work of patriotic education, and that the HKSAR government will continue to deepen and strengthen the public’s sense of national identity and national pride.

Chan and other delegates then visited the Museum of the Communist Party of China, which also showcases quite a lot of content related to Hong Kong, with details on the city's return to the motherland and display of various printed versions of the Basic Law.

On Thursday, Chan and other delegates met with Director of the Office of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs and Director of the Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges of the Ministry of Education Yang Dan, to exchange views on taking forward patriotic education at schools in Hong Kong and on the mainland.

Chan said that, as an integral part of the school curriculum, national education and national security education in Hong Kong have incorporated the elements and spirit of patriotic education.

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The Education Bureau will continue to adopt a multipronged and coordinated approach to supporting schools in carrying out patriotic education and dovetailing it with the content of the Patriotic Education Law.

This includes strengthening teacher training, enhancing students' national affairs education, and organizing joint school national education activities, Chinese culture immersion activities and mainland study tours.

Chan said the aim is to enable the younger generation to gain a deeper understanding of global trends and delve into the history and culture of the country and national affairs, and strengthen their affection for and sense of belonging to the country.