Face to face: Chief Executive Donald Tsang tells students to grasp Hong Kong's advantages.

Chief Executive Donald Tsang urges young people to take advantage of the opportunities and challenges arising from the Mainland's 11th Five-Year Plan.

Meeting 2,000 secondary students today, Mr Tsang learned about their experiences in getting to know the Mainland through national education activities run by the Education & Manpower Bureau.

Unlimited opportunities

He told them the 11th Five-Year Plan gives due emphasis to Hong Kong's advantages in complementing the Mainland's development. It also states the Mainland's support for Hong Kong's advancement in finance, logistics, tourism and telecommunications services as well as maintaining the city's edge as an international finance, trade and shipping centre.

Noting the rapid growth of several Mainland cities, Mr Tsang said no matter how close or far away they are from Hong Kong, they have a "direct bearing on us and present us with both challenges and unlimited opportunities".

He added: "I hope our students, who are the future of Hong Kong, will realise that Hong Kong's professionals are set to not only serve the seven million local residents. The size of our clientele could be as many as 1.3 billion and it is imperative that we have a good understanding of them."

National education

On educating Hong Kong's youth about the Mainland, Mr Tsang said since the Handover, the Government has spared no effort in boosting national education among students and their sense of national identity.

Focusing on three key aspects - recognition, passion and implementation - many national education initiatives have been blended into the formal school curriculum and are supported by a wide variety of activities, aiming to let students see for themselves the latest developments on the Mainland.

Mr Tsang said young people should do their best in preparation for the many challenges to come.