Reach out to youths, HK, Macao members told

China's top political advisory body has given full support to its members from the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions to play active roles in their regional affairs while also engaging youth and boosting patriotism, the leading political adviser Yu Zhengsheng said on Saturday.

The National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference has attached high importance to work related to the young people in Hong Kong and Macao, as well as to developing and strengthening the ranks of patriots who love the country and their regions, Yu said.

The CPPCC National Committee will deepen solidarity and friendship with compatriots in the Hong Kong and Macao SARs, mobilizing them to work together for the greater national interests and the realization of the Chinese dream, Yu said.

Yu, chairman of the 12th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, made the remarks when he delivered the 12th CPPCC's Work Report at the opening ceremony of the first session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee in Beijing on Saturday.

While reviewing work from the past five years, Yu said the CPPCC National Committee and its Standing Committee had fully and faithfully implemented the principle of "one country, two systems", under which the people of Hong Kong govern Hong Kong and the people of Macao govern Macao, and both regions enjoy a high degree of autonomy.

Before the opening ceremony, Raymond Lee Man-chun, a member of the CPPCC National Committee from Hong Kong, said the country's rapid development has offered great opportunities for Hong Kong youths to pursue their careers or set up businesses on the mainland.

He said the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, with two major infrastructure projects expected to be completed this year－a cross-boundary high-speed rail linking Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge－would provide great convenience for Hong Kong residents to work and live on the mainland.

To encourage young people from the SARs to find opportunities on the mainland, Starry Lee Wai-king, another member from Hong Kong who chairs the biggest political group in the city－the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong－suggested the taxation system difference between Hong Kong and the mainland should be addressed.

She said the CPPCC should act as a bridge and communicate more with youths in the SARs so they can have a better understanding of the country's overall development in the new era.

Lai Tung-kwok, former Hong Kong secretary for security and newly elected CPPCC National Committee member, expressed his confidence in youth-focused work in the future. Furthering youth work will help unite people from different walks of life to build common ground, he said.

Kenneth Fok Kai-kong, another newly elected CPPCC National Committee member from Hong Kong SAR, said he would put forward suggestions concerning the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area with a special focus on how to encourage young people to participate. He also serves as vice-president of the Hong Kong Olympic Committee.