Young people and officials from Hong Kong on Monday praised the Qianhai special economic zone’s fast-paced development and expressed high expectations for entrepreneurship and career opportunities there, betting on advantages of the “one country, two systems” policy and regional synergy.
They made the remarks during a group tour of Qianhai by 160 Hong Kong secondary school students, co-organized by the Labour and Welfare Bureau, Social Welfare Department, Qianhai Authority and several other organizations.
Chris Sun Yuk-han, secretary for labour and welfare, hailed the joint initiative as “highly meaningful”. The program brought together two Hong Kong platforms -- Connecting Hearts Academy, a major social service network, and the Strive and Rise Programme, aimed at providing young people with opportunities to grow and develop.
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By bringing students from Hong Kong to Qianhai, the initiative offered them a chance to broaden their horizons while gaining a deeper understanding of the mainland’s development and emerging opportunities, Sun said.
“Global competition is ultimately a race for talent in the long run. Hong Kong and Shenzhen should foster closer collaboration and exchanges, leveraging the special administrative region’s ‘one country, two systems’ advantage and regional synergy to attract global talent,” he added.
Annie Tam, president of Connecting Hearts Academy, said the program will help students to start planning their futures early. “We want them to understand not only the opportunities in Hong Kong, but also the development of Qianhai and the wider Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA),” she said, adding that such exposure could positively shape their life choices.
Tam said the academy has established an international office in Qianhai, enabling Hong Kong social service organizations to run projects locally with simplified procedures and optimized facilities. She expects more young people from Hong Kong to explore opportunities in Qianhai in the future.
Ho Pui-yan, a member of Strive and Rise Alumni Club who was making her second visit to Qianhai, described it as “highly developed, fast-growing and full of innovative energy”, making it an attractive location for young people from Hong Kong with high aspirations like her.
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She said she is particularly attentive to employment opportunities and living conditions in Qianhai. “If given the chance to work in the area, I would like to combine my personal interests to found an NGO or a social service organization there,” she said.
Chan Kwun-man, another Strive and Rise alumnus, said Qianhai’s similarities with Hong Kong - familiar street layouts, signs, brands and the use of traditional Chinese characters - make him feel at home.
“These factors have convinced me that Qianhai is an ideal place that offers strong opportunities for entrepreneurship and personal development,” he said.
Chen Yang contributed to this story.
Contact the writer at sally@chinadailyhk.com
