Beijing says Hong Kong and Macau youth visit showed patriotic education gains

A five-day visit to Beijing by a youth delegation from Hong Kong and Macau has demonstrated what China’s central government called the results of patriotic education in the two cities. The delegation travelled to Beijing to pay tribute to the national flag, according to the South China Morning Post. A commentary published by the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office said the visit provided participants with what it described as vivid patriotic education through immersive visits.

The commentary said President Xi Jinping and the central government attached great importance to the trip. It presented the delegation’s activities as evidence that the governments of Hong Kong and Macau had made progress in promoting patriotic education among young people. The available material does not identify the members of the delegation, give its size or list the sites visited in Beijing.

It also does not describe the participants’ own views about the trip or provide responses from Hong Kong or Macau education authorities. The central government’s assessment was published in the office’s commentary on Tuesday. Its focus was the political and educational significance attached to the visit, rather than a detailed account of the programme.

The report therefore establishes that young people from Hong Kong and Macau visited Beijing for five days, paid tribute to the national flag and took part in immersive activities. It also records the central government’s view that the trip reflected the impact of patriotic education efforts by the city governments.