Macao encourages youth to integrate careers into national development

China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) is supporting local young people in personal growth with various events, encouraging them to integrate their careers into the country's overall development, according to a five-episode documentary launched by the China Media Group (CMG).

The events include Youth Idea Call: Youth Service Creativity Competition held from June to August this year by the Macao Youth Development Services Center, which was established in June 2023 to provide guidance and support for the local youth in their career paths.

"Young people in Macao will not only think about Macao from the perspective of Macao, but also generate ideas from the country's overall development," said Ip Kuai Peng, Vice Rector of City University of Macau, and also a judge of the competition.

With a focus on youth development service, the competition drew a total of 629 participating projects, 30 projects of which were selected as top contenders.

Top awards were presented to two projects aiming to develop a platform for Macao talents to participate in rural revitalization in the Chinese mainland, and integrate Macao youth into the overall national development, respectively.

"We will also provide some networking opportunities, connecting them with enterprises and government departments, so that they can get more help for their projects," said Cheong Ka Man, the deputy director-general of the center.

The award-winning rural revitalization project was proposed by Hui Hoi Ian, who is currently studying architecture at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

She hopes her idea can encourage more young people in Macao to take an active part in advancing rural revitalization across China.

"I hope that a rural revitalization-themed entrepreneurship or practice base, similar to a communication center, for Macao youth can be built in a village or county of our country," she said.

To commemorate the 25th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland, CMG is airing the documentary series titled "25 Years of Lotus Bond" on CCTV-1 at 20:00 every night from Dec 13 to 17, with subsequent broadcasts on CCTV-4 and CCTV-13.

The documentary comprises five thematic episodes: Love for the Home and the Nation, A Path of Diversity, The Flavor of Happiness, A City of Integration, and Gateway to the Future. It showcases the successful practices of "one country, two systems" in Macao under the strategic guidance of the central government.

On December 20, 1999, the Chinese government resumed its exercise of sovereignty over Macao and established the Macao SAR.

Macao encourages youth to integrate careers into national development

The Global Partnership for Poverty Alleviation and Development (GPPAD) was officially launched on Wednesday at the ongoing 2026 Global Poverty Reduction and Development Forum in Beijing, according to an announcement made at the event.

Jointly initiated by China, 53 other countries, and nine international organizations, the GPPAD marks a milestone in global poverty-reduction efforts, the announcement said.

While encouraging members to pursue poverty-reduction and development strategies suited to their own conditions, the GPPAD will promote exchanges of experience in poverty reduction and governance, and jointly explore pathways to eradicate poverty at its roots, according to the announcement.

The partnership welcomes the participation of governments, international organizations, the private sector, academia and media institutions, to foster a fair, inclusive, non-discriminatory and sustainable development environment together, the announcement added.

Speaking at the forum, Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong said that China will support the GPPAD in strengthening policy dialogue, technical demonstrations and talent training, to help developing countries build stronger poverty-reduction capacity.

Scholars and government officials hailed the importance of this global effort in reducing poverty.

"Today, you have the opportunity of countries coming together to say, in a way we failed, but we don't have to. We can work together through partnership to address issues that collectively as a globe, we said we would do eight years ago, whatever it is, 10 years ago, but have not done so. So it's importance is this opportunity, this celebration of working together, we can really achieve things," said Robert Walker, Professor of the School of Social Development and Public Policy of Beijing Normal University, who is also an Emeritus Fellow at Green Templeton College at the University of Oxford.

"Within this platform, we will have access to more knowledge, partnerships, and economic and social cooperation, allowing us to learn from the experience of China and other countries, so that we can accelerate the pace and make the commitment. The problem of poverty is a global problem for humanity, so the strategies for reducing it must also be global strategies, concerted strategies, that allow, first, to end hunger, drastically reducing the level of poverty by 2030," said Salimo Ismael Vala, Minister of Planning and Development of Mozambique.

Global partnership launched in Beijing to fight poverty, promote development