In the 2022 Policy Address, Chief Executive John Lee echoes the point made by President Xi Jinping that “Hong Kong will prosper only when its young people thrive” (青年興則香港興). The government aims to assist young people in overcoming hurdles in education, employment, entrepreneurship, and home ownership. It will also encourage youth participation. Yet, according to a survey conducted by the Youth I.D.E.A.S think tank of the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups (report, July 2022), only 37.9% of the youth respondents are optimistic about their own prospects and 46.9% are pessimistic about the future development of Hong Kong. Does the government have a good grasp of what our young people care and are worried about? How can we give hope to them so that they have something to strive for?
No-one would dispute the need to protect our ecological environment and achieve sustainable development. At the same time, there are growing social and economic demands for expanding development in housing, transport, and other public infrastructures. Balancing development and environment often involves a tradeoff. Reclamation, and using lands within green belt zones and at the fringe of country parks, or even part of the Fanling golf club, for housing development are highly controversial. Are we caught in an irreconcilable dilemma?
2022年11月26日,香港教育大学(教大)「个人理财教育文学硕士」课程(MAPFE)的学生队伍(Mr. WANG Chaowei和 Mr. CHEN Zijun)在「2022证券与投资精英大比拼」比赛中获「优异奖」。
The COVID-19 pandemic has lasted much longer than most people expected when it first broke out in early 2020. The World Health Organization chief recently said that “We are not there yet, but the end is in sight.” (14 September 2022). While scepticism and uncertainty remain as to how soon that end will come, most countries are making their way back to normal; borders are reopened, and social restrictions lifted for the sake of economic revival. Hong Kong is caught in a conundrum where its Covid regime seems neither here nor there—not stringent enough for reopening to the mainland and too stringent for reconnecting to the world. A policy breakthrough is needed otherwise the city risks losing its vibrancy and international competitiveness. Hence the newly relaxed “0+3” requirement for inbound visitors is a much-welcomed step forward. But is it enough? Is an endgame in sight?