Senior Hong Kong officials on Saturday urged the city’s young people to contribute their time, energy, and ideas to create a better, more connected world and empower a generation that is resilient, resourceful, and ready to build a bright future for all.
The call came at the second edition of the Youth Development Summit in the city. Themed "Connecting the World into the Future", the event gathered about 600 youth delegates from the Chinese mainland and 33 countries.
Speaking at the summit, Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan Kwok-ki said the Youth Development Blueprint released in 2022 outlines the city’s guiding principles for advancing youth development, as well as charting a clear pathway for stakeholders everywhere.
“Our vision is to nurture a new generation of youth equipped with a global perspective, a positive thinking mindset, and an affection for our city and our country.”
In his 2025 Policy Address, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu last week announced a number of measures to promote youth development, including launching a Young Talent Training Programme, he said.
“There will also be a new media thematic internship program on the mainland, a strengthened Youth Financial Education Programme, and new professional mediation workshops to help broaden young people's international perspectives and cultivate a global mindset.”
Addressing the summit, Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen spoke about various measures taken by the special administrative region government to empower young people to forge connections across cultures.
Referring to Premier Li Qiang’s call in this year's Government Work Report at the 14th National People's Congress to deepen international exchanges and cooperation, she said: “We embrace that call with concrete actions and plans. For our young people, it means opening doors to new horizons, where they can learn from the world and share Hong Kong's unique story with pride.”
Since the launching of the Youth Development Blueprint, the government has been implementing at full steam some 160 measures set out in the blueprint, while policy bureaus have introduced around 90 new measures to ensure progress of the blueprint and responsiveness to the changing needs of the city’s youth, she said.
RELATED ARTICLES
- Young leaders bridge cultures in Hong Kong
- HK forum: Young minds key to cultural exchange, scientific progress
- Over 1,500 HK youths' mainland-exploration quests funded
- New internship program paves way for talented young HK job seekers
“We remain steadfast in our commitment to the Youth Development Blueprint, scaling up partnerships and opportunities to make international exchange a transformative experience for the next generation.”
With its unique positioning, anchored in the country and open to the world, Hong Kong is determined to be the "super connector" the youth need, she added.
“One of our core focuses is opening up the world to our youth through exchange and internship opportunities. In addition to establishing a foothold in Hong Kong, we encourage young people to explore the rich history, culture, and opportunities of our country and beyond,” said Mak.
Referring to various internship opportunities in the mainland and overseas, she said around 5,000 young people took part in these programs in 2024. Also, more than 30,000 youth explored various provinces and mainland cities, as well as 42 countries and regions across five continents last year.
While some 2,800 youth participated in Hong Kong’s inbound exchange projects, the city this year rolled out a number of enhancement measures to further encourage two-way exchange projects, she said.
Talking about youth engagement, Mak said Youth Link, a youth network launched in September 2023, now connects over 18,000 members, offering them the opportunities to develop talents and build trust with the government.
“Since the 2016/17 academic year, the Belt and Road Scholarship has encouraged outstanding students from 49 Belt and Road countries to pursue publicly-funded undergraduate and postgraduate programs in Hong Kong,” she said, adding that over 680 students have been awarded the scholarship to date.
President of All-China Youth Federation, Xu Xiao; Malaysian Minister of Youth and Sports, Hannah Yeoh, Saudi Deputy Minister of Society Development at the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, Ahmed Saleh AlMajed; Deputy Secretary General of the Central Committee, Lao People's Revolutionary Youth Union, Souliya Keophilavong; Kazakh Vice Minister of Culture and Information, Yevgeniy Kochetov; and Deputy Director-General, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Dr Qu Xing also attended the summit.
