A delegation made up of around 150 young people from a variety of sectors in Hong Kong visits the Palace Museum in Beijing to learn about Chinese history on Friday, the last day of their five-day visit to the mainland. [Photo/China Daily] Vice-Premier Han Zheng encouraged young people from Hong Kong on Friday to enhance their knowledge of the nation and pursue their careers considering both the special administrative region and the nation's development. Han, a member of the country's top political authority, the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, also called on the young people to contribute to the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and realize the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Han made the remarks when meeting with a Hong Kong youth delegation in Beijing. The delegation of 150 included a cross section of the SAR's young people. Han said President Xi Jinping cares about youth development and has great expectations for Hong Kong's youth. A nation will prosper only when its young people thrive, Han said. Han also expressed his hope that the city's young people will be patriotic, persistent in realizing their dreams and committed to serving the SAR and the country. The delegation, of youth aged 18-35, was on a trip to Shenzhen, Wuhan and Beijing by high-speed rail this week with a special focus on the nation's booming innovation and technology industries. Delegation head Kenneth Fok Kai-kong called meeting Han of great significance as the young people learned that the country's development has set the stage for them to realize their dreams in a historic opportunity. Fok, who is a Hong Kong member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the country's top political advisory body, added that it would make Hong Kong's youth-related work more inspiring. Andy Tsang Hin-lam, a freshman history major at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said Han's remarks showed that the future of Hong Kong youth is not just limited to Hong Kong. He called on his peers in the special administrative region to broaden their horizons and take part in national development. Tang Chui-lee, a sophomore studying movie and TV production at Hong Kong Design Institute, said she learned that the country has provided great policies and resources, and young people should seize opportunities in a timely and proactive way. custom silicone bandsfestival wristbandstyvek wristbands londonblack rubber wristbandswrist band coupon codeteam bride wristbandspersonalised silicone wristbands ukmake your own wristbandcustom wristbandswristbands with a messagesilicone bracelets custom cheapband wristbandstrio spinnersfestival wristbands for salemake your own wristband
United States Secretary of Defense James Mattis will visit China from June 26 to June 28. [Photo/IC] United States Secretary of Defense James Mattis' first visit to China will help ease tension, promote mutual trust and facilitate healthy interactions and relations between the two militaries, experts said. Chinese military officials will also take this chance to directly communicate China's stance of resolutely safeguarding its national sovereignty, territorial integrity and other core interests to the top US defense official, they added. Mattis will visit China from Tuesday to Thursday. He will meet with State and military leaders to discuss issues of common concern, Ren Guoqiang, a spokesman for Ministry of National Defense, said on Monday. It will be the first visit to China of a US defense secretary since Chuck Hagel in April 2014. Mattis will also visit the Republic of Korea and Japan after his trip to China. Developing healthy and stable Sino-US military-to-military relations is in accordance with the mutual interest of both countries and the common aspirations of the international community, Ren said. China values developing military relations with the US, and hopes the US works with China to turn the military relationship into a stabilizing factor for the countries' overall relations, he added. While Mattis' trip to China was part of the bilateral consensus reached last year, his visit comes amid recently heightened security tensions between the two over the South China Sea and Taiwan. On May 23, the Pentagon disinvited China from the 2018 Rim of the Pacific naval exercise as part of its criticism of China's military buildup in the South China Sea. The US is also helping Taiwan bolster its defense capabilities. One week ago, the US Senate passed the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, calling for joint military drills with the island, despite Beijing's strong opposition to any country having military interactions with Taiwan. Mattis, however, has shown an interest in less contentious dialogue with China before traveling to Asia, insisting to reporters that he will not poison the well before going into the talks and will focus on larger, more strategic security issues, The Associated Press reported on Sunday. Colonel Liu Lin, an associate researcher of foreign militaries at the People's Liberation Army Academy of Military Science, said while some degree of competition is inevitable between China and the US, there is more room for cooperation than confrontation. Having high ranking military officials directly interact with each other will help increase strategic communication and build mutual trust, facilitating a healthy military relationship between the two countries, she said. Senior Colonel Zhou Bo, director of the Center for Security Cooperation under the Central Military Commission Office of International Military Cooperation, said the South China Sea, Taiwan and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula will be among the key topics discussed during Mattis' visit to China, as well as bilateral military cooperation. Although not all differences could be managed overnight, the gesture of his coming to China is already a positive sign for Sino-US military relations, he said.
