A group of 20 Hong Kong youths, all aged 20, have completed a week-long exchange programme in Belgium from August 24 to 31 (Belgium time) which included visits to a variety of organisations and historical sites. 

     Dubbed "Walk the Hong Kong Spirit", the group's visit was organised by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Brussels to mark the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). The programme aimed to broaden the horizons of these 20 young people, who grew up together with the HKSAR.

     On August 26 and 27, the group took part in and finished the daunting 100-kilometre Trailwalker challenge. They visited on August 28 a project in Boom near the port city of Antwerp, where the non-profit organisation De Steenschuit offers traineeships of 640 hours to people who have been unemployed for at least one year.

     The group then visited a Belgian factory, Premium Sound Solutions, which makes speakers for many of the world's luxury car manufacturers. They visited the workshops and were briefed on the processes from research and development to quality control, and observed the production line. The company explained strategies for doing business globally and how the company has become successful by setting itself ambitious targets, and gave the young Hong Kongers career advice, urging them to continue to believe in their dreams and never stop making efforts to achieve them. 

     Diamonds and other precious stones are a major Belgian export to Hong Kong and accounted for 69 per cent of Belgium's exports to Hong Kong in 2016. The group visited Diamondland in Antwerp to learn about the diamond trade. In the evening, the young people were briefed by the Belgian-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, and exchanged views with its Chairman, Mr Bernard Dewit, and other members over dinner.

     On August 29, the young people visited the offices of Oxfam Solidarity in Brussels, where they were briefed on the non-government organisation's work in the migrant camps in Italy and Greece, and took part in a workshop on the impact of climate change on food supply around the world.

     They then proceeded to Flanders in the north of Belgium, which is commemorating the anniversary of the 1914-18 World War I. They visited World War I sites and military cemeteries, and learnt about how the two World Wars inspired Belgium, France, Germany and others to create the European Union to maintain a lasting peace.  

     In the evening the group was briefed by a representative of Think Young, a think tank that aims to involve young people in the decision making process by providing decision makers with high-quality research on key issues affecting the youth.   

     On the last day of the programme, the group visited the Train World railway museum in Brussels, where they were briefed by the Chief Financial Officer of the Belgian railway company, SNCB/NMBS, Mr Olivier Henin. They then visited the battlefield of Waterloo and its museum, learning about the famous battle fought in 1815 in which Napoleon Bonaparte's French army was defeated by the allied British and Prussian armies, changing the course of world history. The group then visited Brussels Airport and were briefed on its crisis management after the terrorist attack on March 22, 2016.

     At a farewell dinner in the evening, the group exchanged its views and impressions of the visit with the Special Representative for Hong Kong Economic and Trade Affairs to the European Union, Ms Shirley Lam, and Board Members of the Belgium Hong Kong Society and its Chairman, Mr Piet Steel.

Ends/Monday, September 4, 2017
Issued at HKT 21:36

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