All-China Youth Federation secretary general says 2,000 places could be made available depending on demand
STUART LAU AND NECTAR GAN
UPDATED : Friday, 25 March, 2016, 4:35pm
Liu Jiachen wants to see more Hong Kong students taking advantage of mainland China internships. Photo: Simon Song
The number of places in a scheme for Hong Kong students to take up internships on the mainland could be doubled inext year, a mainland official on youth affairs told the South China Morning Post.
The move will allow more teenagers to “learn about the country in a holistic fashion” amid “brainwashing from the opposition camp”,according to Liu Jiachen, secretary general of the All-China Youth Federation, the main organisation in charge of official cross-border exchanges.
“It cannot only be done through promotion by saying how good the mainland is. In the past, exchange activities have focused too much on sightseeing,” said Liu, who is also a senior official on the central committee of the Communist Youth League.
“More experience is needed for the students,” he added.
The internship scheme currently offers 1,000 placements for university students to work on the mainland. Liu said it could be expanded to 1,500 or 2,000 in the coming year, depending on demand.
Hong Kong students make a visit during an internship in Shanghai. Photo: SCMP Pictures
The call comes as Beijing is placing emphasis on engaging Hong Kong teenagers, recently seen as the bedrock for the rise in localist sentiment.
Yu Zhengsheng, the chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, urged delegates to “resist and oppose anything” that might violate or undermine the political foundation for consensus.
The issue of learning about the mainland is sensitive among Hong Kong students and parents. In 2012, a plan for a national education curriculum was put on hold after a citywide boycott and protest characterised by suspicions that it was aimed at brainwashing students.
Disputing the claim about brainwashing, Liu said: “Never have we indoctrinated anyone through our syllabus or exchange programmes. We only want the students to have first-hand encounters.”
The official also called for interest in a broader range of provinces and cities among Hong Kong students, as most visits focused on Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong province.
Pan-democratic lawmaker Ip Kin-yuen, who represents the city’s teachers, said there was always a need for schools to give a balanced view to students even if visits to the mainland were restrictive in nature.
“Those exchange trips will only be meaningful if students can get a full picture,” he said. “If the aim is to let them see one perspective, that is far from ideal.”
In another push for recognition of the country’s power, Liu earlier encouraged Hong Kong youngsters to take part in the mainland’s overseas diplomatic trips.
That is, according to him, more for working people than students, and the number should be limited.
The choices were usually recommended by the liaison office and pro-Beijing associations in Hong Kong, Liu said.
The city’s Basic Law stipulates that the city has no power over foreign affairs, which is in the hands of the central government.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1930591/places-mainland-china-internships-could-double-hong-kong
