The Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak, today (February 1) met with a Hainan delegation to exchange views on strengthening co-operation of bilateral youth exchanges. The Under Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Mr Clarence Leung, and the Commissioner for Youth, Mr Wallace Lau, also joined the meeting.
 
     Miss Mak welcomed the delegation led by the Standing Committee Member of the CPC Hainan Provincial Committee and Head of the United Front Work Department of the Hainan Committee of the CPC, Ms Miao Yanhong. Hong Kong and Hainan have been working closely in various areas for mutual benefit. The rapid development of Hainan, particularly in the areas of tourism and environmental conservation, can provide invaluable exchange and learning opportunities for Hong Kong students. Miss Mak said that the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB) had recently promulgated the Youth Development Blueprint. It outlined the overall vision and guiding principles for the Government's long-term youth development work in the future, and proposed to promote young people's understanding of the country and to encourage their integration into the national development.

     Miss Mak said, "The HYAB has been striving to enhance Hong Kong young people's understanding of national affairs by providing them with exchange and internship opportunities in the Mainland. With the resumption of normal travel between the Mainland and Hong Kong, we will restart youth exchange and internship programmes between the two places in an orderly manner, including programmes under the Funding Scheme for Youth Internship in the Mainland and the Funding Scheme for Youth Exchange in the Mainland. We are also working actively with Hainan over the possible launch of the Thematic Youth Internship Programmes to the Mainland to provide Hong Kong youths with unique and in-depth internship opportunities."

     Miss Mak said that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government would be pleased to explore proposals of jointly promoting Hong Kong youth development with Hainan. 

Ends/Wednesday, February 1, 2023
Issued at HKT 12:15

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