A thematic session "Me and My Motherland" is held at the Macau Forum building.
The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, said recent visits to five mainland provinces – and a thematic session held on Saturday (3 August) – would help boost Macao young people’s patriotic spirit and their determination to contribute to national development efforts.
Mr Chui’s remarks were part of a speech at Saturday’s thematic session. The session was titled “Me and My Motherland”. Part of the event was for young people to share their experience of participating in the visits to mainland provinces, which took place during various dates between 14 and 25 July.
The thematic session and the programme of visits to mainland provinces by Macao young people were part of the celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, and the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR).
The visits to mainland provinces involved a total of 500 young people. Each delegation – comprised of 100 young people and accompanied by senior officials of the Macao SAR Government, and officials of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR – visited a single province on the mainland, namely either Hebei, Guizhou, Jiangsu, Guangdong or Hunan.
In his Saturday speech, Mr Chui mentioned the SAR Government’s increased efforts over the years in order to improve conditions for young people in Macao, supporting their personal development, education and success. These efforts would help pass down Macao’s long-standing tradition of patriotism from generation to generation, he added.
The two recent initiatives were designed to achieve different but complementary goals, Mr Chui stated. The programme of visits to mainland provinces enabled young people to see for themselves – and gain first-hand knowledge in a comprehensive and intensive way – the latest aspects of national development; while the thematic session was for young people to discuss, and gain a better understanding of, the relations between ‘me’ – i.e., the individual – and the ‘motherland’.
The Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR, Mr Fu Ziying, also made a speech at Saturday’s thematic session.
He said Macao young people were a driving force for the steady implementation of the “One country, two systems” principle in the Macao SAR, and played an important role in the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Mr Fu acknowledged the Macao SAR’s effort – with the strong support from the Central Government – in promoting youth education and other works relating to youth affairs. These were a significant factor in order to ensure Macao’s long-term prosperity, he added.
A total of three documents was signed during Saturday’s thematic session. They were: a framework agreement regarding youth action in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area; a framework agreement on youth innovation and entrepreneurship; and a memorandum of cooperation between Macao’s higher education sector and the China Foundation for Youth Entrepreneurship and Employment.
In addition to Macao young people sharing their experience of the recent visits to mainland provinces, Saturday’s event also included a sharing session on the country’s latest developments in the field of science and technology. Guests invited to share their insights included the Chief Engineer of the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST), Mr Wang Qiming, and the Chief Designer of Beidou Navigation Satellite System, Mr Yang Changfeng.
Madam Chen Yanxian, part of the first generation of foresters linked to the development of the Saihanba Forest Farm in Hebei Province, also attended the event in Macao to talk about her involvement in turning a former waste land into the world's largest artificial forest.
