A visit to Hebei Province by a delegation of young Macao people not only presented a great opportunity for participants to get information on the nation’s latest developments in various fields, but it also illustrated the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) Government’s support for Macao youth to engage further in national development efforts.

A group of 100 Macao young people – led by the Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On – has been on a visit since Sunday (21 July) to Hebei Province. The delegation left Hebei this afternoon for Beijing. The group will return to Macao tomorrow (25 July).

Visits to a number of venues promoting patriotic education and to new infrastructure projects had enabled young Macao people to gain first-hand knowledge of the country’s most recent developments, the deputy head of the delegation, Mr Mok Chi Wai, told reporters today before the departure from Hebei Province.

The Hebei visit is part of a programme of five tours to mainland provinces that are jointly organised by: the Macao SAR Government; the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR; and a body formed by Macao youth associations.

Mr Mok, who is also the president of the body formed by local youth associations, said arranging the five visits to mainland provinces helped create fresh exchange opportunities between young Macao people and young people from the mainland.

The visits were of significant importance for Macao young people, as 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 SAR, Mr Mok said.

Macao young people should keep enhancing their skills, take on further responsibilities regarding Macao’s development and participate further in the country’s advancement in a new era, Mr Mok added.

During their last day in Hebei Province, the 100-strong delegation of young Macao people – as representatives of the other 400 young people taking part in the programme to visit mainland provinces – planted trees at the Saihanba National Forest Park. The act was symbolic of the way Macao young people acknowledge their roots on the mainland and work with one heart for the country.

Delegation members also visited an exhibition hall and the Seven Star Lake Wetland Park at Saihanba National Forest Park. While in the Wetland Park, delegation members sang the Chinese song “Me and My Motherland”.

The whole programme of visits to mainland provinces involves a total of 500 young people. They are accompanied on their respective trips by senior officials of the Macao SAR Government, and officials of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR. Each delegation is visiting a single province on the mainland, namely either Hebei, Guizhou, Jiangsu, Guangdong or Hunan, on various dates between 14 and 25 July.