On 20 December 2022, the SAR Government announced Hong Kong’s first-ever ‘Youth Development Blueprint’, outlining the Government’s philosophy, goals and actions for youth development. The vision is to nurture a new generation of young people, so that they can realise their potential and contribute to the country and Hong Kong.

In an opinion-editorial article published in South China Morning Post and Ming Pao Daily on 6 and 8 January respectively, EOC Chairperson Mr Ricky CHU Man-kin expressed his hope that the blueprint would also address the unique challenges of the non-ethnic Chinese youth – in learning Chinese as a second language and landing job opportunities. 

Mr Chu pointed out that Hong Kong has a small but significant ethnic minority youth population. This youth sub-set faces many of the same challenges as other Hong Kong youth, and then some more. One of the unique circumstances facing ethnic minority youth is the struggle of learning the Chinese language. To date, the city is still in dire need of measures to help the non-ethnic Chinese youth overcome this hurdle. While the blueprint mentions several new tertiary education options including vocational training, the EOC hoped that these options would equally be accessible to ethnic minority students. 

“As the world faces uncertainty and headwinds, the best that leaders can do is make people resilient, skilled and hopeful. The blueprint correctly aims to do that for Hong Kong’s youth. Let’s make sure that Hong Kong’s ethnic minority youth are counted in,” wrote Mr Chu. 

• Read Mr Chu’s article published in South China Morning Post
• Read Mr Chu’s article in Ming Pao Daily (Chinese only)