HK youths must take the ride to a better destiny
It has been a year since President Xi Jinping’s inspection trip to Hong Kong last July. In his speech at the ceremony celebrating the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland and for the inauguration of the fifth-term Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Xi said wholeheartedly that Hong Kong’s destiny has always been intricately bound with that of the motherland.
The destiny of youths is the destiny of Hong Kong. We all know Hong Kong youths have been facing various challenges in recent years. The traditional strengths of our economy have started to weaken while new drivers of growth are yet to emerge. Youth talent is underdeveloped. Moreover, they are facing an increasingly severe housing shortage and other social issues. To address these problems, Xi stressed we should stay on the right and steady course, gain a full understanding of the policy of “one country, two systems” and faithfully implement it.
How can Hong Kong cope with these challenges under “one country, two systems”? Let’s take a look at the policies of the Hong Kong government. “Connecting the youth” is one of the most noticeable policy directions of the new administration of Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor. Paying heed to the concerns and opinions of youths, the government has tried to open itself further to them. The Youth Development Commission, chaired by the chief secretary for administration, was set up earlier this year to enhance youth policy coordination within the government. While it’s too early to take stock of government policies on youth, we are seeing at least one eye-catching youth policy being implemented by the new administration — more and more young people are being appointed to various government boards and committees. For instance, many young people have been invited to join statutory boards and committees through the pilot member self-recommendation scheme. For those aspiring to pursue a career in policy research or policy coordination, they are offered a chance to join the new Policy Innovation and Co-ordination Unit.
These moves carry a significant message: Youths, our future leaders, should be more active in making policies concerning the city’s future. A stronger sense of participation can help not only enhance their sense of belonging, but also their support for “one country, two systems”. As Xi said, it’s imperative to have a correct understanding of the relationship between “one country” and “two systems”. The best way to do it is to join the public policymaking process and experience how “one country, two systems” really works.
For most youths, the government should focus on development as its top policy priority. Development is crucial to Hong Kong’s survival, and it holds the golden key to resolving youth issues in Hong Kong. Moreover, the Chinese mainland’s continuous and rapid development over the years offers invaluable opportunities, an inexhaustible source of strength and broad space for the SAR’s further development. To help our youths grasp those opportunities, the SAR government has vowed to allocate more resources to enhance various youth development programs. To be specific, more internship opportunities on the mainland and in countries along the Belt and Road route will be provided for our young people.
Support for young people not only comes from the SAR government, but also the central government. Last year, the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office unveiled a series of measures to facilitate Hong Kong people studying, living and working on the mainland. For example, the quota and number of scholarships available for Hong Kong students for higher education institutions on the mainland have been increased. Hong Kong residents working on the mainland can now participate in the Housing Provident Fund and enjoy the same treatment as mainland residents. Other measures cover areas like education and employment, and setting up business and daily life matters; they can enable Hong Kong youths to capitalize on the opportunities brought about by the nation’s rapid development.
Xi also cited a Hong Kong saying last year — after leaving Suzhou, a traveler will find it hard to get a ride on a boat — to encourage Hong Kong