Chinese president meets Hong Kong youth at junior police activity center

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Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the newly-established Junior Police Call (JPC) Permanent Activity Center and Integrated Youth Training Camp at Pat Heung in Hong Kong on Friday, after inspecting the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Garrison at the Shek Kong barracks earlier in the morning.

Xi is in the Special Administrative Region (SAR) from Thursday to Saturday to mark the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China.

Accompanied by outgoing Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, the Chinese president watched leadership and physical training sessions and talked with JPC members at the center.

In his policy address last year, Leung announced the plan to set up the center and the training camp in an effort to boost the SAR's youth work.

Established in 1974, the JPC is a non-profit society headquartered in the Hong Kong Police Public Relations Branch. With about 190,000 members by the end of 2016, it has become one of the largest youth organizations in the world with strong police ties.

During his tour, Xi was briefed by JPC members on the objectives of the organization, which include encouraging and improving communication and mutual understanding between the police and the youth in Hong Kong, fostering police-youth partnership in the fight against crime, developing young people's sense of responsibilities to society and enhancing their leadership.

President Xi shakes hands with a JPC member during a visit at the Junior Police Call Permanent Activity Center and Integrated Youth Camp in Hong Kong on June 30, 2017. /Reuters Photo

The new center, equipped with a ropes course, a football pitch and a rock climbing site, provides discipline, physical and team-building training for the youth. It had a trial opening on April 2 and will be officially launched later this year.

Xi, who is also General Secretary of the Communist Party of China's (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, inspected PLA troops in 20 formations of more than 3,100 soldiers at the Shek Kong barracks before the visit.

On Saturday, he will attend the inauguration of Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor as Chief Executive and the Special Administrative Region's new government.

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