B&R exchange programs broaden youth horizons
To create more opportunities under the Belt and Road Initiative for local youth, the Hong Kong government has introduced more programs to stem the flow of young people with talent.
“I believe there are many chances for our youth. They may consider starting their own business in the Belt and Road countries and regions. They may make use of the professional advantages of service industries to provide Hong Kong’s accounting, legal, business consultancy, tourism, infrastructure engineering and design areas a wide range of services,” said Gary Tang Leung-shun, a supervisor at the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups.
The Belt and Road Initiative is expected to engage 60 countries and regions by 2050, generating four-fifths of global economic growth in Gross Domestic Product. Even today, participating countries and regions account for about 30 percent of global GDP and more than 35 percent of all merchandise trade. At a time when mainland cities are quickly catching up, Hong Kong’s future may depend on creating better links to the Belt and Road.
If Hong Kong’s young people are to grab the opportunities that initiative will generate, they need to understand how things work. That means learning about other cultures, which are often the foundation for how business operates in different places.
“In order to grasp the opportunities, all sorts of exchanges are necessary to enable Hong Kong youngsters to learn more about different jurisdictions and decide whether to explore career opportunities there in the future,” said Holden Chow Ho-ding, vice-chairman of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong. “Even a short trip would benefit a student.”
Michael Tsang, a 23-yearold creative professional, agrees but with some reservations. Although skeptical, he says there are benefits to meeting people of different cultures.
“Hong Kong is pretty homogenous in general, so a bit of an eye-opening experience could be useful,” he said. “A long time ago, when I first heard about the Belt and Road Initiative, I thought it was just about infrastructure and bringing business to the Chinese mainland, completely unrelated to local (youth). Now I don’t think it’s just empty talk because I know the government actually tried.”
The aim of the International Youth Exchange Program (IYEP), organized by Hong Kong’s Home Affairs Bureau and the Commission on Youth, is to provide opportunities and international perspective through exchanges.
“Our policy objectives on youth development are to foster a culture of multi-faceted excellence and to provide diversified learning, training and development opportunities to young people who have different aspirations,” said Jo Chu, an information officer at the Home Affairs Bureau. Chu added “participants benefitted from the exchange programs”.
In the year 2016-2017, IYEP took in 103 applications, involving 2,800 participants. Only about a quarter of the projects, 29 in all, were approved. In sum only 630 went on tour of more than 20 Belt and Road countries and regions. The Home Affairs Bureau will continue the program this year with HK$100 million in funding.
But some critics argue the benefits of the programs have yet to be made more tangible. They say lack of awareness about programs like IYEP may be an issue.
The IYEP is not the only government-funded program out there. Another example are exchanges organized by the Federation of Youth Groups – short trips of about a week.
“It’s great for early life planning. If they want to expand their career objectives to China, I would say there’s a good opportunity for them to build firsthand contacts,” said Tang.
“In this kind of exchange program, all we can do is help young people get more firsthand information. They can go to the Chinese mainland for some personal experience and learn, observe and know more about the real situation there,” said Tang. “It is not a very long time. But in our program, we have 40 people who will establish close relationships with each other during the trip,” said Tang.
“If we can bring young people to observe the new opportunities on the mainland, they may change their perspective on building a future on the mainland,” he added.
“In trips, if they follow their parents, most activities involve a lot of sightseeing. In a study tour like the ones we organize, we help youngsters communicate more with local youth. We go through pre-trip training on what other countries and regions are concerned about. They are not just there to sightsee. They are there to observe a way of life,” said Tang.
Tang added that the program is not exclusively focused on the Chinese mainland.
“Our unit is also going to Russia and the Middle East in August. We will try to identify more resources and expand the places we visit,” said Tang.
Business opportunities within the Belt and Road for Hong Kong youth could be endless. Officials say it could take a while for Hong Kong people to warm up to IYEP and similar programs but it will happen. After all, the Belt and Road Initiative increasingly will affect the younger generation over the next two or three decades.
There are examples of Hong Kong individuals and companies who have successfully launching businesses in Belt and Road countries and regions. As long as the young people are eager to explore, they would find new career opportunities under the Initiative, Chow said.