First Anniversary of the Maritime Silk Road Society and “Operation Zhang Qian 2016” Sharing Session
The 1st Anniversary of the Maritime Silk Road Society (MSRS) and “Operation Zhang Qian 2016” Sharing Session were held today (24 September) at Holiday Inn Golden Mile to celebrate the special occasion of the Society and the successful completion of summer internship by university students.
Mrs Regina Ip, Co-Chair of the MSRS, and Mr Roland Wong, Vice-Chair (Development) of the MSRS Youth Opportunities Committee, spoke at the ceremony. Over 150 guests attended the ceremony, including Advisors, Executive Committee Members, Members of the MSRS; representatives of hosting companies and participating institutions, and intern students under “Operation Zhang Qian 2016”. In addition, there were two guests from the Mainland who made a special journey to Hong Kong to participate in the ceremony. They were Dr Zhao Fujun, Deputy Director of Foreign Economic Relations Department, Development Research Center of the State Council of PRC, representing MSRS Advisor (Central Government) Dr Zhao Jinping, and Mr Zhang Yuge, Director of Research Center of Hong Kong and Macau, China Development Institute, representing MSRS Advisor (Mainland) Dr Guo Wanda.
The Maritime Silk Road Society was inaugurated on 7 September 2015 with the aim of supporting the nation’s “Belt and Road Initiative” and identifying new developmental opportunities for Hong Kong, leveraging its unique position and strengths.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mrs Regina Ip said,“Last year, three seminars relating to‘the Belt and Road’were held for different sectors of the community. Besides, the‘Nanhai No.1－Cultural Tour’and the‘Fujian (Xiamen, Quanzhou)－Maritime Silk Road Cultural Tour’ were organized to enhance public understanding of the Maritime Silk Road.”
In addition, “Operation Zhang Qian 2016” was launched by the MSRS Youth Opportunities Committee to help Hong Kong university students ride on the developmental opportunities offered by “the Belt and Road Initiative”.
Mrs Ip said, “We are pleased to announce that 85 interns have successfully concluded their internships for four to eight weeks in countries along ‘the Belt and Road’, and in mainland China, Canada, Czech Republic, and Djibouti (Africa).”
“From the report submitted by the interns, I understand they have to face challenges ranging from high temperature, serving on night shifts and working in harsh and challenging conditions. Nevertheless, some students gained a rare experience of visiting the cockpit or climbing into a giant freighter in the middle of the night for cargo support, conducting an investigative news story with a local reporter on overcharging by taxi drivers, and designing a code booklet for the couriers of a logistics company,” she said.
Mrs Ip remarked, “The workplace is like a battlefield. Students should prepare themselves adequately before entering the job market in order to cope with different challenges. We therefore plan to set up an alumni network to help students acquire some basic skills for their career.”
Mr Roland Wong added, “Our interns can be senior members to share their valuable experience with the freshmen of the internship scheme. In addition, we are looking for suitable persons to be mentors to facilitate self-enhancement of our interns.”
Mr Wong said, “I am happy to accept the invitation to be one of the mentors and share what I have learned from my work life with intern students.”
In the sharing session, outstanding students were invited to go on stage to make presentations and show their videos shot during their internship for sharing with the guests their experience and achievements.
Under “Operation Zhang Qian 2016”, the following companies have offered 111 placements: Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited, CEFC China Energy Company Limited, Chatrium Hotels and Residences, China Merchants Group, China National Travel Service (HK) Group Corporation, China Resources (Holding) Company Limited, CLP Holdings Limited, Fairchild Group, Fullerton Hotel (Singapore), K. Wah Construction Materials (HK) Limited, Kerry Logistics Network Limited, Lan Kwai Fong Group, Nanjing China Railway No. 2 Engineering Group Property Development Co. Limited, Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, Swire Group, The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited, The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels Limited, YHS (Singapore) Pte Limited.
Local institutions participating in “Operation Zhang Qian 2016” include City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong Shue Yan University, Lingnan University, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, The Education University of Hong Kong, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, The University of Hong Kong, and the Vocational Training Council.
Outstanding internship reports have been uploaded on the MSRS website (http://maritimesilkroad.org.hk/en/yoc/operationZQReport/34). Members of the public are also able to view the students’ videos on the MSRS website (http://maritimesilkroad.org.hk/en/yoc/operationZQContest/35) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/maritimesilkroad).
1. Mrs Regina Ip delivering her remarks at the ceremony.
2. Mr Roland Wong delivering his remarks at the ceremony.
3. MSRS Advisors and representatives at the toasting ceremony.
4. Mrs Regina Ip presenting awards to winners of video contest.
5. Mr Lam Kwong Siu, Special Advisor of MSRS presenting awards to interns of outstanding reports.
6. A group photo of MSRS Advisors and representatives with interns.
7. A group photo of Host Companies and Institutions with interns.
1st Anniversary of the Maritime Silk Road Society and "Operation Zhang Qian 2016" Sharing Session
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