CPPCC chairman: Mainland offers HK youth great chances

Top political adviser Yu Zhengsheng pledged more support for young entrepreneurs from Hong Kong and Macao chasing their business dreams in the China (Guangdong) Pilot Free Trade Zone. This is part of a bold move to appeal to young people in the two special administrative regions to develop their talents on the mainland.

Yu, chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, was addressing the opening ceremony of the annual meetings of the CPPCC at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Friday

He said the nation’s top political advisory body will study how to help Hong Kong and Macao youth in pursuing a career or starting up a business in the Guangdong free trade zone. The area is now a leading center for entrepreneurship and innovation.

Yu’s speech echoed longstanding efforts to market the mainland as a “land of opportunities” for young people in the two SARs.

It was accompanied by encouragement from Hong Kong’s top officials and business experts for the city’s youth to seize the opportunities following the rapid development of the world’s second-largest econ- omy. Last week, the Guangdong government vowed to pro- vide some 990 internship places in enterprises, agen- cies and organizations in the province for Hong Kong’s young people. This comes under the Funding Scheme for Youth Internship in the Mainland at the 22nd Work- ing Meeting of the Hong Kong-Guangdong Coopera- tion Joint Conference in Guangzhou. The HK$24 million Youth Development Fund was launched by the Hong Kong government in July last year; the list of successful applicants was released at the end of February. It is also looking to lift restrictions on the city’s young people starting businesses on the mainland. The youth exchange high- lights the vital role Guang- dong plays in spearheading the cooperation with Hong Kong and Macao, due to their geographical proximity and cultural similarities. Chinese General Chamber of Commerce Chairman and CPPCC member Jonathan Choi Koon-shum on Friday urged Hong Kong, Macao and Guangdong to proact- ively get involved in develop- ing a world-class city cluster in the Pearl River Delta region. This requires close cross-boundary collabora- tion to boost the competitive edge of the three regions, he added.