A ceremony is held to present flag to delegations of young people visiting the mainland.
The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, said today that visits to mainland provinces by Macao’s young people were opportunities for them better to grasp – in a comprehensive and intensive way – the latest aspects of national development.
Mr Chui made his remarks in a pledging ceremony held today. It marked the start of visits spread across five Chinese provinces by an aggregate of 500 local young people. They are being accompanied by senior officials of the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), and officials of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR.
Today’s pledging ceremony was held at the Macao East Asian Games Dome. In attendance were the five Government Secretaries, and the Director and four Deputy Directors of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR.
The young people and the officials with them are divided into five delegations. Each delegation will visit a single province on the mainland, namely either Hebei, Guizhou, Jiangsu, Guangdong or Hunan, taking place between tomorrow (Sunday) until 25 July. The delegations will be able to gain fresh insights respectively about the “Belt and Road” initiative; the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area; the Coordinated Development for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region; the Yangtze River Economic Zone; and about the national effort on poverty alleviation.
A discussion session to share insights into the delegation visits will be held in Macao on 3 August.
The visits – jointly organised by the SAR Government; the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR; and the visit programme’s organising committee, a body formed by local youth associations – are part of the celebrations for this year’s two anniversaries.
The two anniversaries are the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, and the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Macao SAR.
Mr Chui pointed out that the visits to mainland provinces by young people would serve as a route to national education and advancement of works relating to youth affairs, in celebration of the approaching two anniversaries.
In his address, Mr Chui highlighted that the SAR Government would spare no effort in elevating Macao’s youth affairs work in line with implementation of the “One country, two systems” principle. The SAR Government would maximise its effort in coordinating cross-departmental work relating to youth affairs, he added.
Mr Chui raised three aspirations for those taking part in the visits to keep in mind. First, they should strengthen their awareness of national consciousness and patriotism. Second, they should be the backbone of the implementation of the “One country, two systems” principle. Third, they should be a new force for achieving the goal of rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
The Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR, Mr Fu Ziying, also gave a speech at the pledging ceremony.
In his remarks, Mr Fu mentioned the Central Government’s attention to the personal development of Macao’s young people; and in particular, to President Xi Jinping’s observations about the role of young people.
The visits to mainland provinces were part of the effort to put into practice the important instructions from President Xi regarding youth development. The visits would not only boost young people’s awareness of national consciousness but also be a display of Macao’s successful promotion of patriotic education.
The president of the committee organising the mainland visits – a body formed by local youth associations – Mr Mok Chi Wai, also delivered a speech at the pledging ceremony.
Mr Mok spoke of the efforts of the SAR Government and of the community – under the guidance of the Central Government – regarding the advancement of Macao’s young people. He said he hoped the young people would share with their peers insights regarding the experience they gained from the visits, and information about the latest progress within the country.
