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The Hong Kong 200 Leadership Programme selects 200 student leaders every year from all secondary schools in Hong Kong. I return to this big family as both an alumnus and a trainer. These future changemakers learn how to conduct policy research and carry out advocacy by understanding positions of different stakeholders and responding to every citizen with the art of compromise.

Democratic Thinking submitted the "Recommendations for the 2023 Policy Address" to Chief Executive Li Jiachao today. Deputy Secretary of the Department of Justice Zhang Guojun and Deputy Director of the Medical and Health Bureau Dr. Li Xiayin listened to their opinions. We proposed that the government should strengthen the promotion of national Constitution education, establish an international commercial court, and improve rehabilitation programs for social activist youth.

The fight against COVID-19 pandemic officially concluded in the beginning of 2023. Border reopening symbolized the reconnection with mainland China. Close cross-boundary ties, once disrupted, were reforging and citizens shared a strong sense of getting back on track. Despite improvement of democratic culture from the disappearance of violent scenes, political pluralism was not as vibrant. A stronger local support compensated the gradual decline in international perception and contributed to an overall growth in the 1C2S Index. The latest reading for 2023 H1 rose by 1.7% from 5.92 to 6.02.

It's a good time to rethink my last decade in think tanks and universities. Path of Democracy focuses on core issues of HK-Mainland relations and Shanghai-Hong Kong Development Institute is the first research unit jointly established by universities in mainland China and Hong Kong after the handover. In a recent Beijing-HK think tank symposium hosted by the Hong Kong Alumni Association of Beijing Universities, I shared experience of cross-region collaboration from three aspects: joint research, academic exchange and talent development.

Many families will travel around the world as summer holiday has begun. Starting with our passport, we talked about privileges of being a Hong Kong resident. Teacher said these primary school kids signed up by themselves to come back to school after class. I'm impressed by their curiosity to learn how relevant are the Constitution and Basic Law to our daily lives!

See how middle school students serve as trade representatives of eight countries, attend simulated international meetings, and decide on cross-border recovery measures after the epidemic. I analyze with them how countries around the world find their position, identify allies, and engage in negotiations.

Presented a data-rich assessment of the post-2019 wave of emigration in the annual conference of the Society for Hong Kong Studies. My idea started when everyone was talking about emigration and it became so fashionable that people began to attribute every phenomenon around us to emigration.

Yesterday was China's Cultural and Natural Heritage Day. We held the World Cultural Heritage Youth Forum (Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area), where inheritors and contributors shared their conservation experience. Award-winning teams reported their mock proposals of world heritage sites to Alvin Chiu, Political Assistant to Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism. Earlier, our postgraduate mentors toured with groups of secondary students to Yim Tin Tsai and Lung Yeuk Tau to learn about the protection, management and exhibition of local heritage. The timeless charm of Hong Kong culture deserves to be better known in the international community

Path of Democracy resumed its visit to Beijing after years of travel curbs. Students from Hong Kong Academy of Politics and Public Policy joined us to meet central institutions, universities and think tanks related to HK affairs. We were deeply encouraged by Xia Baolong, HKMAO Director of the State Council, about our impact on One Country Two Systems research and political talents training. We were also received by NPC's Constitution and Law Committee and its Standing Committee's Legislative Affairs Commission, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, and three universities: Peking University, Tsinghua University and Renmin University of China. We hope to demonstrate to the public how to build trust by maintaining engagement and embark on a path of positive interaction.