The Civil Service College (CSC) held the ninth talk of the series on the country's foreign affairs jointly with the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) today (September 27). The talk, on the topic of "China-Africa Relations", was delivered via video-conferencing by the Director-General of the Department of African Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Mr Wu Peng.
 
     Addressing the talk, the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, said that the important speech delivered by President Xi Jinping at the meeting celebrating the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland had highlighted "Hong Kong's close connection with the world market and strong support from the motherland" as its distinctive advantages. As a key link and the prime platform for the Belt and Road (B&R) Initiative, and with the Central Government's support, Hong Kong should capitalise on its unique advantages to connect the Mainland with other B&R regions. Civil servants of the HKSAR should play an active role in strengthening the connection and act in better concert with the country's development strategies.

     In the face of the increasingly sophisticated international landscape, civil servants need to acquire a deeper understanding of the national development strategy and the evolving global order. The CSC reinforces the sense of national identity among senior civil servants, deepens their understanding of the country's development and broadens their international horizons and global outlook through various types of training.
 
     The series on the country's foreign affairs, which started in January this year, involves monthly talks delivered by relevant officials of the MFA covering various topics including "In-depth Study of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy for a Brighter Future of Hong Kong", "China's relations with ASEAN, Japan, India and other neighbouring countries" and "China - United States Relations". The series is a key training programme launched by the CSC for civil servants in the directorate and senior ranks.
 
     About 200 civil servants in the directorate and senior ranks took part in today's talk through online access.

Ends/Tuesday, September 27, 2022
Issued at HKT 16:11

NNNN