â€‹Following is the speech by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, at the Youth Development Summit today (August 10):

Your excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
 
     Good morning. It gives me great pleasure to join you all for this Youth Development Summit. Today, we are here not only to celebrate the remarkable achievements and milestones in youth development, but also to look to the future.
 
     We look forward to the boundless opportunities, inspiring collaborations, and ground-breaking innovations, that lie ahead in Hong Kong and for Hong Kong – not just for our young home-grown talent, but also for those around the world who choose to partner with Hong Kong for a brighter future together. 
 
     I have great confidence in the future. My confidence is reinforced by the presence of you all here. We have with us today top government officials, business leaders and innovators from Hong Kong. We also have influential leaders from governments, enterprises and youth groups in Mainland China and around the world. 
 
     No doubt, this gathering showcases the importance of youth development as a global priority. I am delighted to share with you Hong Kong's vision and journey in the next couple of minutes.
 
Youth Development Blueprint
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      It is our firm belief that Hong Kong's progress and prosperity are linked to the well-being and success of its young people. As President Xi Jinping wrote in a letter last year to students of a local school, "I hope that you can integrate the pursuit of knowledge with exploration of the world, gain a profound understanding of global developments, and delve into the history, culture and realities of the motherland."
 
      President Xi's words echo our Government's vision for nurturing a new generation of young people with an affection for our country and Hong Kong, and equipped with a global perspective, an aspiring mindset and positive thinking. 
 
      In December 2022, our Government published the Youth Development Blueprint. This comprehensive document outlines the guiding principles of our long-term youth development work. It also serves as a guide to pull together all sectors of society in offering diverse support for young people. 
 
     Naturally, the needs and challenges are different from one person to another, and they change over time. With this in mind, the Blueprint contains more than 160 measures to provide all-round support for young people aged between 12 and 39; and to respond to their changing needs in a timely manner, we introduced nearly 60 new youth-related measures last year. 
 
     Taking a holistic approach to youth development, we have grouped all our measures under four directions, namely "exploration", "hope", "empowerment" and "contribution". Allow me to expand on each of these directions.
 
Exploration
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     First, "exploration". Encouraging young people to explore in the classroom, and beyond, is a crucial first step towards acquiring knowledge and skills to move forward. 
 
     This begins with instilling in young people a strong sense of national identity. We promote national education to ensure they have a good understanding of our country's history and latest developments. We also immerse them in the rich heritage and beauty of Chinese culture.
 
      As the Chief Secretary for Administration, I am leading a Working Group on Patriotic Education. Established in April this year, the Working Group offers constructive advice on the work of the Government and non-governmental organisations in strengthening patriotic education on various fronts, which range from schools to the community at large.
 
     A good example of such collaborative efforts is the first-edition Chinese Culture Festival, jointly presented by our Government and many arts and cultural organisations. From June this year until September, the Festival offers nearly 100 cultural and creative events, including performing arts programmes, film screenings, exhibitions and talks, for people of all ages to enjoy.
 
     No less important, school education is key. By offering free, quality education, as well as support for families in need, our Government aims to ensure no child is denied the opportunity to explore and achieve their full potential. 
 
     We have been offering diversified education pathways to young people. For one thing, Hong Kong is the only city in Asia with five universities ranked in the world's top 100. We not only nurture home-grown talent, but also attract top students from around the world to study here.
 
      We have also been strengthening vocational and professional education and training. Our efforts include setting up universities of applied sciences, with the Hong Kong Metropolitan University being the first institution to fulfill the relevant criteria earlier this year.
 
     At the same time, we have been offering and funding various exchange and internship programmes designed for young people, so that they can gain a better understanding of our country and take a more global outlook. In the current financial year, we expect to offer a total of more than 200 000 exchange and internship places, covering different cities in Mainland China and overseas.
 
Hope
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     Our second policy direction is "hope". With hope and confidence, the future is filled with boundless opportunities, especially the possibilities presented by our motherland's high-quality economic development. 
 
     Thanks to the "one country, two systems" principle, Hong Kong is uniquely placed as the only world-class city that enjoys both the China advantage and the global advantage. We are fully engaged in national development strategies, including the National 14th Five-Year Plan, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development, and the Belt and Road Initiative. Such strategies provide ample opportunities for young people to develop, to grow and to thrive, while contributing to our motherland's development at the same time.
  
     In particular, we support young people in pursuing their aspirations in Hong Kong's development of eight centres as outlined in the National 14th Five-Year Plan. The eight centres cover international finance, transportation, trade, and legal and dispute resolution services, as well as aviation, innovation and technology, intellectual property trading, and international cultural exchange. 
 
     We also actively encourage youth innovation and entrepreneurship within the Greater Bay Area. Last year, we established the Alliance of Hong Kong Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurial Bases in the Greater Bay Area. It leverages the resources and networks of nearly 60 partner organisations to empower the young generation of business leaders. 
 
      To reinforce our commitment, we provide start-up capital, entrepreneurial support and incubation services for promising young entrepreneurs to explore and grasp business opportunities in the Greater Bay Area. So far, we have supported close to 220 youth start-up teams. Their businesses are wide-ranging, covering retail, healthcare, education, brand design, innovation and technology, and much more. Besides starting businesses in Hong Kong, many of the start-up teams have expanded their reach to Mainland cities like Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Zhuhai.
 
     On the housing front, we recognise the strong hopes of many young adults to have their own living spaces. In addition to speeding up housing supply, we have been running the Youth Hostel Scheme. To date, six youth hostels have been launched to provide a total of close to 3 000 hostel places.
 
Empowerment
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      Our third policy direction is "empowerment". Apart from academic and career pursuits, we are committed to fostering young people's physical and mental well-being, empowering them to embrace life's challenges.
 
      We have been providing funding support for adventure training and positive thinking-related activities since last year, so that young people can improve their resilience, sense of discipline and team spirit. By mid-2025, we expect at least 16 000 young people will have joined such funded activities. 
 
     At the same time, mental health support for young people is a top priority. We have strengthened our medical-education-social collaboration model. Professional multi-disciplinary teams have been established to help promptly identify students with mental health needs, such that timely support services can be provided for them. 
 
Contribution
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     Our fourth, and final, policy direction is "contribution", which means providing more channels for young people to participate in community-building and actively contribute to society. 
 
     Our Government has expanded the Member Self-recommendation Scheme for Youth, so that more young people can take part in government advisory committees through self-nomination. To date, 85 government advisory committees have joined the Scheme, covering trade and industry, innovation and technology, human resources planning, child affairs, and much more. The overall youth participation rate is encouraging. It doubled from some eight per cent at the launch of the scheme, in end-2017, to some 16 per cent by the end of last year.
 
     Also, our Government has established two new youth-related committees in each of Hong Kong's 18 districts, namely the District Youth Community Building Committee, and the District Youth Development and Civic Education Committee. We aim to enable young people, who can be as young as 16 years of age, to participate in community-building and district affairs. About 330 young people have been appointed to these committees.
 
     No less important, we are committed to engaging with the youth community. Last year, we established a brand-new "Youth Link", which is a platform for the Government to network with young people and provide them with more opportunities to develop talents and serve the community. We have recruited over 10 000 members so far, and we will continue to attract more young people to join.
 
Closing
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     Ladies and gentlemen, to witness in action the four principles I have just mentioned, let's look at our amazing Hong Kong, China team, including many young talented players like gold medal-winning fencers Cheung Ka-long and Vivian Kong, at the Paris Olympics:
 

• each and every one of our athletes has seized the opportunity to "explore" far beyond their comfort zone;

• they have thrived on the "hope" of competing on the world stage;

• they have been "empowered" by mental and physical strength to overcome challenges along the way; and

• they have "contributed" to the betterment of society with their excellent performance, strong determination, and remarkable resilience, that inspire us all.

 
     Ladies and gentlemen, I am sure we all have a shared commitment to driving the healthy and holistic development of youth. Our efforts are not just about policies and programmes. We need to build a future where all young people, just like our athletes, can unleash their full potential. 
 
     The energy, creativity, and resilience, of young people are the forces that will, in turn, shape a brighter future for society.
 
     Today's Summit is a call to action. I am confident that the exchanges here today will lead to fruitful outcomes, innovative solutions and collaborative efforts for the benefit of youth development locally, regionally, and globally.
 
     On that note, I wish this Youth Development Summit a great success, and all our visitors a pleasant stay here in Asia's world city. Thank you very much.

    

Attention TV/radio announcers:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:

     Here is an item of interest to swimmers.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department said today (August 10) that because of an oil spill, the red flag has been hoisted at Golden Beach in Tuen Mun District. The beach has been closed until further notice. Beachgoers are advised not to swim at the beach.

1. Overall situation

     In the first half of 2024, a total of 45 315 crimes were recorded in Hong Kong, representing an increase of 5.6% (+2 392 cases) compared with the same period last year. The overall detection rate was 26.3%. Leaving deception cases aside, the detection rate was 44%. There were 5 156 cases of violent crime, registering an increase of 8.3% (+397 cases) compared with the same period last year. Major crimes that recorded increases included deception, theft, blackmail and burglary.
2. Deception

     A total of 19 897 cases of deception were registered in the first half of 2024, an increase of 1 154 cases (+6.2%) compared with the same period last year (18 743 cases), of which 62.3% were Internet-related. Deception cases accounted for 43.9% of the total number of crimes and the amount involved was $4.48 billion (+1.79 billion, +66.5%). The loss incurred from investment fraud was $1.55 billion, accounting for 34.5% of the total amount involved.

     Compared with the respective increases of 52.1% (in the first half of 2023 compared to the same period of 2022) and 41.7% (in the first half of 2022 compared to the same period of 2021) in the corresponding periods of the past two years, the increase of deception cases in the first half of this year (+6.2%) has slowed down. Police have put vigorous efforts into combatting deception in recent years, and launched various measures for raising public awareness. Scammers also change their modus operandi from time to time. For example, "Guess Who" became less adopted by scammers in telephone deception, resulting in a significant drop in this type of deception from 1 224 cases to 475 cases (-61.2%). However, the new modus operandi of scammers "impersonating customer service staff of e-shopping platforms, online payment platforms, and telecommunications companies" has emerged this year. A total of 1 605 cases were already reported in the first half of this year, leading to the rise in the overall number of deception cases.

     Scammers would pretend to be customer service staff of e-shopping platforms, online payment platforms or telecommunications companies and claim that victims have subscribed to their paid services.  When victims deny such subscription, the fake customer service staff would claim to assist in cancelling the services, and transfer the calls to fake bank staff who would in turn lure victims into surrendering their e-banking usernames, passcodes and verification codes, so as to steal money from their accounts; or the scammers would lure victims into making transactions to designated bank accounts. Deception cases of such kind underwent another surge in July, recording a total of 1 111 cases in that single month, accumulating up to 2 716 cases for the first seven months of 2024, which is even higher than the increase of overall deception cases (+ 2 609 cases).

     In response to the emergence of such new modus operandi of telephone deception, Police have liaised with the companies concerned to further widen the reach of anti-deception messages. Apart from posting anti-deception messages in their stores, websites and mobile applications, large-scale advertisements have been put up on the bodies of more than 120 trucks of a major logistics company starting from this month to help Police get the anti-deception messages across to various districts of the territory during the delivery of goods.

     Other scams employing new modus operandi include the "secondary scams" perpetrated by fraudsters posing as lawyers and falsely claiming to help victims of deception cases recover their losses, as well as computer operating system or anti-virus software technical support scams. Although the number of such cases is not high at present, Police will closely monitor the trend and have immediately disseminated information on such new modus operandi to members of the public through various channels, such as press conferences, "CyberDefender" website, social media, "Scameter+" and so on, so as to remind them to stay vigilant.  

     In fact, fraud syndicates constantly modify their modus operandi to maximise their proceeds and this phenomenon does pose huge challenges to police forces around the world. The Hong Kong Police Force does not want to be in a passive position of "fighting a new trick only when it emerges". Recognising that combating deception requires the concerted efforts of all sectors of the community, Police have been working with various stakeholders over the past few years to proactively fortify defences against deception in terms of mechanism and public awareness in the following major areas:

     i. Multiple measures have been rolled out in collaboration with the banking industry, including the launch of the "Faster Payment System Suspicious Proxy ID Alert" in November last year.  As at the end of June this year, around 655 000 alerts have been issued. Starting from August 4, the mechanism has been extended to cover the transactions conducted by teller counters in bank branches and e-banking. When members of the public make transfers through these two channels to the accounts which have been labelled as suspicious by "Scameter+", they will receive automated alerts from bank staff and online banking platform respectively, reminding them not to make such transfers. With the expansion of this mechanism, the transaction coverage rate has been significantly increased from 35% to 84%. It is expected that the mechanism will reach 100% coverage upon further extension to automated teller machines by the end of this year, enabling full protection for members of the public.

     Additionally, since the establishment of the Anti-Deception Alliance (ADA), jointly operated by Police and 10 major banks, in late November last year,  it has continued to enhance the efficiency of intercepting fraudulent payments and expedite the identification of potential fraud victims. As at the end of June this year, 807 persons have been successfully dissuaded from continuing to transfer money to fraudsters, while over 95% of the fraudulent payment interception requests have been responded by banks within two hours. In June this year, the efforts of the ADA were effective in successfully intercepting fraudulent payments totalling $107 million in two cases, including the entire amount of loss totalling over $40 million in one particular case, which was a notable result.

     ii. A number of initiatives have also been implemented in conjunction with the telecommunications industry, including the blocking of telephone numbers and websites involved in deception cases by telecommunications service providers upon request. As at the end of June this year, around 12 200 website links and 6 500 telephone numbers have been intercepted.

     iii. Upon the implementation of "Scameter" and "Scameter+", as at the end of June this year, the two search engines have recorded 3.97 million searches and issued approximately 620 000 alerts on frauds and cyber security risks. "Scameter+" was upgraded in February this year. With new functions to issue alerts and a new public reporting platform, "Scameter+" has been downloaded 493 000 times, registering an increase of nearly 90%. Members of the public have even reported a total of over 123 000 suspicious calls and 12 000 suspicious websites in four months, a daily average of about 970 suspicious calls and 97 suspicious websites respectively.

     iv. Police will continue to strengthen anti-deception publicity and education to boost the overall immunity of members of the public against deception, so that not only can they stay vigilant to the old modus operandi of scams, but they will also be able to protect themselves from falling prey to the latest scams when they emerge. To widen the reach of anti-deception publicity, Police have enlisted the assistance of different government departments, regulators and enterprises to disseminate messages against deception on various fronts and through different channels. For example, the Water Supplies Department will add a QR Code for downloading "Scameter+" to the quarterly water bill envelopes starting from October to January next year, covering all users in Hong Kong.

     At present, five major catering groups have already printed anti-deception messages on their tray liners, cup sleeves and coupons. Police are also liaising with five major catering industry associations to seek the assistance of their members in disseminating anti-deception messages through various channels. Also, starting from May, an "anti-scam promotional truck" arranged by Police has been reaching out to various districts in the territory and will stay in service for a year. Members of the public can learn about the latest modus operandi of scams through interactive games and are encouraged to download "Scameter+". Additionally, Police are organising "Anti-Deception Month" and "Anti-Money Laundering Month" in August again with the aim of conveying anti-deception messages to every household by linking them to the daily life of the public through various channels.  

     As for enforcement, a total of 5 693 persons were arrested for involving in various types of deception cases and related money laundering offences in the first half of this year, representing an increase of 40% over the same period last year. Among them, more than 4 000 persons were stooge account holders. Apart from expediting prosecution, Police will also apply to the court for enhanced sentencing.  As of June 2024, Police succeeded in enhancing the sentence of 11 stooge account holders in nine cases by three to 12 months, resulting in 26 to 75 months of imprisonment.

     In addition, Police had mounted joint operations with Mainland law enforcement agencies against laundering of crime proceeds and receiving of fraudulent payments with stooge accounts between May and July.  A total of 244 persons were arrested in Hong Kong and on the Mainland, of whom 220 were arrested on the Mainland and some 20 were suspected of recruiting and arranging Mainlanders to come to Hong Kong for setting up stooge accounts. Police in both places will strengthen their efforts in combatting this type of crime.    

     Although the rise in deception cases in the first half of this year has slowed down compared with the same periods of the previous two years, the number of cases is still high and the loss amount involved is substantial. Police will continue to step up efforts to combat deception on various fronts, and appeal to members of the public to bring anti-deception messages to their family and friends.

3. Homicide

     A total of 11 cases of homicide were recorded, a drop of five cases (-31.3%) compared with the same period last year. Four of the cases involved family violence, while the other seven involved disputes among friends, dangerous driving causing death involving drug trafficking, a case that happened at a construction site on Anderson Road in September 2022 resulting in three deaths, psychiatric problems and monetary disputes respectively. All of them have been detected.

4. Wounding and serious assault

     There were 1 821 cases of wounding and serious assault, registering a slight increase of 1.4% (+25 cases) over the same period last year. Among them, 9.3% of the cases were triad-related.

     Regarding the closed-circuit television (CCTV) installation scheme for the purpose of effective combat against various types of crimes, including wounding cases, Police completed the installation of CCTV cameras at 15 locations of Mong Kok in April for testing the technicality. Since June, Police have also started to install other CCTV cameras in phases, with a target of installing a total of 615 sets in various districts within this year. With the assistance of the newly installed CCTV cameras, Police have detected 17 cases involving serious crimes as at July 31, including homicide, robbery, wounding and possession of imitation firearm, and a total of 27 persons have been arrested, showcasing the effectiveness and importance of CCTVs in fighting and preventing crime.

5. Robbery and burglary

     There were 44 robbery cases, a drop of 25.4% (-15 cases) over the same period last year. The detection rate was 84.1% (+12.9 percentage points, 37 cases detected), hitting a record high since the statistics of the first-half-year detection rate of robbery had been maintained in 1977.

     A total of 684 burglary cases were recorded, a rise of 112 cases (+19.6%) over the same period last year. The rise was attributed to the increase in the number of cases involving residential premises (503 cases, +114 cases, +29.3%), of which a larger increase was observed in the number of cases occurring in village houses (176 cases, +89 cases, +102.3%). The increase in the number of burglary cases involving residential premises was believed to be the result of a significant rise in the number of people travelling abroad compared to the same period last year (an increase of 72.4% in the first half of 2024 compared with the same period last year), leaving homes unattended for burglars to prey on.

     Police have stepped up anti-burglary patrols, especially in areas with more village houses, and made good use of technology, such as drones, and partnered with the Government Flying Service to carry out air patrol and assist in searching for suspects in remote hilly areas. The intelligence-led enforcement actions of Police have also been effective, with 196 arrests made in the first half of this year, an increase of 33.3% (+49 persons) over the same period last year. In fact, the increase in burglary cases has slowed down in recent months, and the figure for June even saw a significant drop of 45.2% (-66 cases) compared with May.

6. Theft

     There were 11 529 theft cases, an increase of 3.9 % (+437 cases) compared with the same period last year. The rise was attributed to the increase in shop theft (4 415 cases, +476 cases, +12.1%), miscellaneous theft (6 125 cases, +138 cases, +2.3%) and pickpocketing (287 cases, +59 cases, +25.9%).

     In view of the increase in the number of shop theft cases, Police held a press conference in mid-July to explain the situation, urging members of the public not to commit the offence out of momentary greed and appealing to shop owners to step up anti-theft measures with the aid of technology (e.g. anti-theft tags, etc.).

7. Blackmail

     In the first half of 2024, there were 1 418 cases of blackmail, an increase of 325 cases (+29.7%). The rise was mostly attributed to "naked chat", which is both a technology and a violent crime, totalling 1 102 cases and registering an increase of 269 cases (+32.3%). Students remained as the largest group of victims.

8. Sexual offences

     There were 33 rape cases, an increase of 12 cases (+57.1%), and none of them involved strangers. The larger increase was due to the relatively low number of cases recorded in the same period last year, but the figure was similar to the average number of cases (31 cases) in the first half of the five years before the pandemic (i.e. 2015-2019).

     A total of 568 indecent assault cases were recorded, a slight increase of 0.5% (+3 cases).  Nearly 60% of the cases occurred in public places and MTR premises. The detection rate was 74.6%.  

9. Serious drug offences

     There were 577 serious drug cases, a decrease of 2.5% (-15 cases) over the same period last year. The number of youths arrested in connection with serious drug cases has dropped by 32.3% (-32 persons) to 67 persons, of whom 17 persons were local students (-8 persons, -32%).

     Police continue to promote anti-drug messages among youngsters and students, including the establishment of the Leadership Institute on Narcotics (L.I.O.N.). With the kicking-off of the third cohort at the beginning of this year, mentees will visit the Mainland in August to exchange experiences with the local students. In April, Police released an anti-drug mini-movie co-produced with the Correctional Services Department, featuring a young girl imprisoned for drug manufacturing, for primary and secondary schools across Hong Kong to show to their students. Also, an all-new drama titled “KOL Interactive Anti-Drug Drama” will be performed in at least 50 primary schools this year. So far, the drama has been performed in 30 primary schools to convey anti-drug messages to campuses and the community on various fronts.

10. Youth crime

     In the first half of 2024, a total of 1 541 youths (aged 10 to 20) were arrested for committing criminal offences, similar to the same period last year (+12 persons, +0.8%). The increase was mainly attributed to the rise in deception (288 persons, +71 persons, +32.7%), miscellaneous theft (160 persons, +58 persons, +56.9%) and shop theft (125 persons, +28 persons, +28.9%). However, there was a drop in the number of youths arrested for offences of serious drugs (-32.3%), criminal damage (-22.1%), unlawful society (-39.5%) and so on.

     Police hope to cultivate youths’ law-abiding awareness together with schools and teachers with their assistance in conveying anti-crime messages to students. From January to April this year, Police collaborated with the Education University of Hong Kong, various school sponsoring bodies and charitable organisation Project WeCan to share information on topics such as digital literacy and anti-drugs information with over 5 000 teaching staff and prospective teachers thus far. A new round of sharing sessions has been arranged with four school sponsoring bodies in the new school year. Police will also continue to publish the “Youth Crime Prevention Booklet” series, providing teaching materials and training on crime prevention for teachers in all primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong.  

     Police are also committed to strengthening communication with youngsters and will co-organise training camps with the Education Bureau. A total of 15 residential camps with each lasting for three days and two nights will be held at the Junior Police Call Permanent Activity Centre from November to June next year, providing training opportunities for more than 2 000 Secondary One students so that they can develop positive values and build up resilience.

11. Enforcement on National Security Law

     Since the enactment of the Hong Kong National Security Law, as at June 30 this year, Police have arrested a total of 300 persons. Among them, around 60% have been charged.

12. Conclusion

     The overall crime figure in the first half of 2024 registered an increase of 5.6% over the same period last year. A number of major crimes recorded decreases, while most of the increases in other crimes were within a few percentage points. The increase in deception cases has slowed down compared with the past few years. The overall law and order situation was stable.

     Apart from fighting and preventing crime, protecting the lives of people is a divine mission of Police. In view of the surge in the number of hikers and the consequent rise in related deaths and injuries over the past few years, Police launched a self-developed smart search and rescue mobile application, HKSOS, in January this year. The application utilises patented Signal Radar technology, which allows for precise positioning even in areas without network coverage, to rescue people, especially hikers, in distress during outdoor activities. As at the end of June, HKSOS has recorded 96 000 downloads and successfully assisted 49 hikers in 21 cases, enhancing the efficiency of rescue operations. During the period, there were only seven cases of prolonged search of four hours or above, representing a significant drop of 86.5% (-45 cases) over the same period last year.

     HKSOS and the related rescue solutions have received recognition on the world stage, including the top accolades Gold Medals with the Congratulations of Jury at the International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva (the 48th and 49th) for two consecutive years since 2023, as well as the Best Use of Advanced Technology Award in the International Critical Communications Awards 2024 held in Dubai in May. Police will continue to enhance digital policing with a view to bringing convenience to the public and safeguarding public safety.

     Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, at the Youth Development Summit today (August 10):
 
Honourable Director Zheng Yanxiong (Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR)), Commissioner Cui Jianchun (the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the HKSAR), government officials from around the world, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, girls and boys,

     Good morning everyone! A very warm welcome to you all to our first ever Youth Development Summit by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government. First, my thanks to each and every one of you for being here, making this inaugural Summit a successful reality.

     I am especially pleased that we are joined by high-level representatives from the Mainland, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and Laos today. And we are here with an impressive group of some 1 000 young leaders, innovators, and change-makers from Hong Kong, the Mainland, and other parts of the world.

     As Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, I have had the privilege of visiting different cities in the Mainland, Asia and the Middle East, and been showered with the hospitality of your places. So I am only too delighted to have this chance, to welcome you to my home, Hong Kong.

     Your participation in this Summit underscores the importance of youth development, not just here in Hong Kong, but also in different places along the Belt and Road, and around the world.

     And Hong Kong is a great place to unleash youthful vigour, talent and the pursuit of excellence, for this Youth Development Summit, and beyond.

     Young people are our greatest asset. The Hong Kong SAR Government attaches great importance to youth development and released the first Youth Development Blueprint for Hong Kong. This holistic document highlights our vision, and concrete steps, for youth development.

     Young people are the future pillars of our society. Our vision is to foster a new generation of youth equipped with a global perspective, aspiring and positive mindset, and affection for our country and city. We strive to provide our youth with a nurturing environment and hope for the future.

     To achieve that, we adopt four policy directions: "exploration", "hope", "empowerment", and "contribution". And we certainly provide all these for our young people. 

     We have a diverse and holistic education system – no one is left behind for lack of means. Five of our universities are ranked among the world's top 100, and our universities are home to some of the world's top schools in a wide range of subject areas. At the same time, we are enhancing the status of vocational and professional education and training. Our institutions help to nurture our multi-lingual and versatile young people.

     We strive to build an international hub for post-secondary education for all. We welcome students from around the world to study in Hong Kong, and we offer pathways for home-grown students to study in the Mainland and overseas. We endeavour to expand young people's horizons, and develop their global outlook.

     That, in turn, fuels our development as an international hub for high-calibre talent. We have made remarkable achievements on this front, I'm pleased to add. Since the end of 2022, the Government has launched a range of enhanced talent admission schemes, to welcome talent from around the world. Over the past 19 months or so, we have attracted more than 340 000 applications from professionals and young graduates, and already approved over 210 000 of them. More than 140 000 successful applicants have already arrived in Hong Kong.

     Hong Kong enjoys unparalleled connectivity with both the Mainland and the world. With the unwavering support from national strategies, Hong Kong is fast-developing its competitiveness in eight areas under the National 14th Five-Year Plan, namely finance, trade, shipping, aviation, legal and dispute resolution services, intellectual property trading, cultural exchange, and innovation and technology.

     Along with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development, and the Belt and Road Initiative, Hong Kong is well-placed in connecting the Mainland with both traditional and emerging markets around the globe, and to connect a world of investors to the Chinese market. The development potential of Hong Kong, and every young person who joins us here, is unlimited. We have been encouraging young people to capitalise on these opportunities, and become more involved in actively contributing to the overall development of our country. 

     Ladies and gentlemen, girls and boys, the theme of this Summit is "Set Sail for New Horizons". Working together, I am confident that we can embark on a new journey for youth development in Hong Kong, and with our partners from the Mainland and overseas.

     Setting sail with you will be our host of distinguished speakers. They include young entrepreneurs, I&T professionals, as well as experts in creative industries, professional services and more. They have all demonstrated exceptional enthusiasm, dedication and determination to excel in their fields of expertise. I thank all our speakers for contributing their time, effort and ideas to this event.

     I know that you can all draw great inspiration from our speakers, and from this event. On the topic of inspirational events, I am sure that like me, you have been closely following the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, which will come to an end tomorrow. 

     The people of Hong Kong and I take great pride in the outstanding performance of our young athletes. They have made historic progress this year by winning two gold medals and two bronze medals for Hong Kong so far. But more than medals, each athlete has demonstrated great determination, unwavering efforts, energetic passion and strong team spirit, all valuable attributes of the Hong Kong spirit. The unyielding professionalism and sportsmanship shown by every one of them have made us proud. 

     While we can't all be Olympic champions, we can all be champions of our own stories. We can all live in the spirit of the Olympic motto – "Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together" in our pursuits. And I believe that Hong Kong is a great place to make that happen. Because this is where you can all live the Hong Kong spirit – the spirit of never giving up, the spirit of always striving to achieve our best.

     To our young people here today, do believe in yourselves, trust your instincts, and keep excelling yourselves. The future is in your hands! Your own hands! I encourage you to take full advantage of this Youth Development Summit to listen to, and learn from, our speakers and experts. Grasp the chance to network and build contacts and connections with your peers, and share your ideas and visions for the future.

     And for our friends from the Mainland and overseas, take the opportunity to appreciate the beauty of Hong Kong, and to discover the charm of Hong Kong, an international metropolis that perfectly blends the East and the West. 

     Once again, thank you all for contributing your time, energy and ideas to this inaugural Youth Development Summit. I wish this Summit a great success, and our young people a bright future in Hong Kong and beyond.

     Thank you.

    

     Police are investigating a fatal traffic accident happened in Yau Ma Tei in the small hours today (August 10) in which a man died.
 
     At 0.39am, a motorcycle driven by a 31-year-old man was travelling along Lin Cheung Road underpass towards Tsuen Wan with a 33-year-old male passenger on board. When the motorcycle was approaching Austin Road West, it reportedly went out of control and rammed into the left side kerb.

     The motorcyclist and the passenger fell onto the ground. The passenger sustaining serious multiple bodily injuries was rushed to Kwong Wah Hospital in unconscious state and was certified dead at 2.29am. The motorcyclist suffered injuries to his limbs and was sent to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in conscious state.

    The driver was arrested for dangerous driving causing death and is being detained for enquiries.

     Investigation by the Special Investigation Team of Traffic, Kowloon West is under way.

     Anyone who witnessed the accident or has any information to offer is urged to contact the investigating officers on 3661 9000.