Students from Hong Kong and overseas universities pose for a group photo at the Chinese University of Hong Kong during the Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations Asia Conference on Tuesday. The government has launched an array of measures to support the diversified development of young people in the city and promote regional communication. Provided to China Daily

Young people urged to seize opportunities in nearby mainland cities to realize regional dream

The government is eager to turn the city into a regional hub for innovation and technology under the national strategy of promoting innovation-driven development, which would allow young people to seek ample business opportunities in neighboring cities on the Chinese mainland, a former financial secretary told a recent conference in Hong Kong.

"Nearby cities like Shenzhen, Dongguan and Zhuhai are doing well in particular aspects, such as innovation and manufacturing, offering plenty of business opportunities for Hong Kong's young people," former financial secretary Antony Leung Kam-chung said at the closing ceremony of the Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations (HPAIR) Asia Conference.

Urging students to focus on the global innovation trends, he said: "The mobile game Pokemon Go caught fire in Hong Kong, thanks to augmented reality technology, signaling that technology innovation has huge potential."

The SAR government is striving to strengthen co-operation with the mainland in innovation and technology by encouraging local startups to combine the mainland's rich human resources with Hong Kong's capability and experience in applied research and commercialization to enhance the competitiveness of the industries in both places.

The State Ministry of Science and Technology and the SAR government jointly established the Mainland and Hong Kong Science and Technology Co-operation Committee to formulate technology collaboration and exchange programs in 2004.

Since then, Guangdong and Shenzhen have signed co-operation agreements with Hong Kong to strengthen exchange and sharing of talents and resources.

Leung also emphasized that reform is needed in Hong Kong's education system to adapt to the fast-changing world, and the most important thing for students is to show respect for the law.

"As Hong Kong is an international financial center, the rule of law must always prevail, like any other developed place such as Singapore," he added.

Earlier this month, a Hong Kong court found three student leaders of the 2014 "Occupy" protests guilty of participating in an unlawful assembly and of inciting others to join an illegal assembly.

The HPAIR conference is a five-day academic program held annually in an Asian economy. This year's event was hosted by the Chinese University of Hong Kong from last Friday to Tuesday.

More than 500 students from the world's foremost universities and leaders in various fields attended the meeting to discuss the most pressing global issues across a wide spectrum - from business and sustainability to entrepreneurship, humanitarian affairs and diplomacy.

The government has launched an array of measures to support the diversified development of young people in the city and promote regional communication, such as boosting the Targeted Scholarship Scheme to attract more students from Belt and Road countries and regions to pursue studies in Hong Kong and extending the subsidy scope of the Mainland University Study Subsidy Scheme to help more students pursue further studies on the mainland.

cherrylin@chinadailyhk.com

(HK Edition 08/25/2016 page8)