CY tells protesters to change the channel

Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying got some inspiration in Beijing this week at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit on how to engage young people. They just need to expand their world view, he says. "It occurred to me during the meeting that it would be educational for young people in Hong Kong if the summit was broadcast live. Our young generation could witness the opportunities and challenges facing China and other economies in the region," he wrote on his blog yesterday. The summit ended on Tuesday. "Watching the broadcast would give our young generation some understanding of the interaction between China and other countries, and the nature of international relations," he wrote. "Then they could think about the way out for the city, and themselves, in the international context." With the government failing to persuade the Occupy protesters to go home, some - including Leung, it seems - say the youngsters are too parochial and need to broaden their outlook.

It's not unusual for the host country of a global event to take the chance to promote itself. At the Apec summit in Beijing, free copies of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China - a 500-plus page collection of the president's speeches and letters since he took the helm of the Communist Party in 2012 - were available in nine languages. While the English and Chinese editions were highly sought after by journalists, it was apparently less appealing to locals and Apec volunteers - mostly mainland university students: most gave a bemused look when asked if they planned to read the book. It is also available in Japanese, Korean, French, Russian, Arabic, Spanish and Portuguese.