Young people to go on “Belt and Road” Journey in July

27 April 2018 – The Hong Kong Trade Development Council and the Belt and Road Pioneer will jointly organise the “Belt and Road Journey” Youth Exchange Programme to encourage the city’s young people to participate in the development of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. The trip will take about 20 Hong Kong youths aged between 18 and 25 on a trip to Xinjiang and Kazakhstan in Central Asia in late July. The trip will include visits to local businesses as well as cultural exchange with local citizens and youth, and will enable participants to gain an understanding of the economies as well as experience life in these countries along the Belt and Road route. The programme is now open for application.

Co-organised by the SMEs & Younger Generation Working Group under the Hong Kong Trade Development Council’s (HKTDC) Belt and Road Committee and a non-profit, Belt and Road Pioneer, the “Belt and Road Journey” Youth Exchange Programme is supported by tertiary institutions in Hong Kong.

Raymond Yip, Deputy Executive Director of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, said, “The HKTDC actively promotes a series of activities which we hope can enable more people to understand the Belt and Road Initiative, as well as strengthen Hong Kong’s role as the commercial hub for the Initiative.

Jason Chiu, Convenor of the SMEs & Younger Generation Working Group and Founder & CEO of Cherrypicks, said: “Central Asia is relatively ‘foreign’ to many young people in Hong Kong, yet it serves as a critical hub connecting China, Russia and the Middle East. The Youth Exchange Programme is the Working Group's predominant event this summer. Through a creative and fun approach, the Programme aims to raise local youth’s awareness of the countries along the Belt and Road Initiative, help them better understand the opportunities arising from the Initiative, as well as encouraging them to proactively participate in Belt and Road developments in the future.

Wilson Chan, Chairman of Belt and Road Pioneer, said that Belt and Road opportunities are not limited to the business, but also other aspects of life, such as cultural exchanges. “Through this programme, we seek to encourage young people to actively equip themselves, expand their horizons and develop more interests by exploring opportunities around the world.”

Under the “Belt and Road Journey” Youth Exchange Programme, participants will travel to a number of Central Asia cities including Urumqi, Yining, Khorgas and Almaty on the China-Kazakhstan Railway, by plane and other means of transport. Highlights of the programme include exchange activities with local tertiary students, as well as visits to major companies, logistics and industrial parks, and landmarks such as the Urumqi international Bazaar and the Huiyuan Ancient City. To help young people’s understanding of Belt and Road opportunities, arrangements will be made for participants to share their experiences on the journey on television, social media and through other channels.

The programme is open to Hong Kong residents aged between18 and 25, who can apply by uploading to a dedicated website a 40-second video with self-introduction and presentation of their understanding of the Belt and Road Initiative.

For enrolment details, please refer to http://beltandroadjourney.hktdc.com/en/.

The HKTDC announced the formation of the HKTDC Belt and Road Committee in December last year. Through its five working groups targeting different markets and business sectors, the Committee implements a comprehensive and targeted programme to engage different sectors and the public to participate in Belt and Road development and share in the benefits presented by the Initiative. In particular, the SMEs & Younger Generation Working Group seeks to promote and foster participation of young professionals in the Initiative, as well as to help start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) expand their business into Belt and Road markets. The Belt and Road Pioneer is a voluntary organisation that aims to introduce the Belt and Road Initiative to youth.

Media enquiries
Please contact the HKTDC's Communications and Public Affairs Department:

Banbi Chen              Tel: (852) 2584 4525                                   Email: banbi.yc.chen@hktdc.org

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About the HKTDC
Established in 1966, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body dedicated to creating opportunities for Hong Kong’s businesses. With more than 40 offices globally, including 13 on the Chinese mainland, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a platform for doing business with China, Asia and the world. With 50 years of experience, the HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to provide companies, particularly SMEs, with business opportunities on the mainland and in international markets, while providing information via trade publications, research reports and digital channels including the media room. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus. Follow us on  Google+  Twitter @hktdc  LinkedIn

Belt and Road Pioneer
Belt and Road Pioneer is the organising committee of “My Interfaces with the Belt and Road Initiative”, a Hong Kong inter-school competition aimed to raise secondary and tertiary students’ awareness of the Belt and Road Initiative, and to encourage them to equip themselves to capture the opportunities arising from the Initiative.