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The Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Tsang Tak-sing, arrived in Beijing at noon today (July 23) to start his two-day visit.
Mr Tsang attended a sharing session this afternoon to exchange views and experiences on Mainland exchanges with representatives of various Hong Kong youth uniformed groups joining the "Meet Under the Flag 2013" programme.
Mr Tsang said he was glad to visit Beijing together with young people from Hong Kong. Noting that Hong Kong is our home, Mr Tsang said we should have a better understanding of the Basic Law. He noted that Annex III of the Basic Law stipulates the "National Laws to be Applied in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region", with the first clause being the "Resolution on the Capital, Calendar, National Anthem and National Flag of the People's Republic of China".
He said, "Beijing is our capital, 'The March of the Volunteers' is the national anthem and the red flag with five stars is the National Flag. We have come to Beijing from Hong Kong to take part in the 'Meet Under the Flag' programme and watch the flag-raising ceremony. I believe that we will have deeper feelings on the Basic Law and the 'One Country, Two Systems' concept."
Representatives of the Hong Kong youth uniformed groups participating in the "Meet Under the Flag 2013" programme were received by the Vice-President, Mr Li Yuanchao, today. Mr Tsang also attended the meeting.
"Meet Under the Flag 2013" is one of the programmes of the "10,000 Miles Friendship Trek", a large-scale Hong Kong-Mainland exchange project. Jointly organised by 13 Hong Kong youth uniformed groups, the project's nine-day tour features visits to Beijing and Inner Mongolia for participants to learn about the various aspects of development of the two places.
Mr Tsang will attend the flag-raising ceremony of the "Meet Under the Flag 2013" programme at Tiananmen Square tomorrow and meet with Hong Kong youths participating in internship programmes in Beijing.
Ends/Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Issued at HKT 18:25
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