But it remains No 1 travel spot for young Hongkongers Many Hongkongers believe Japan is the least friendly nation towards the Chinese government, but it is still among the most desirable travel destinations, especially for young people. Nearly half of the 1,559 locals aged between 15 and 65 surveyed on China's international image believed Japan had been 'very unfriendly' or 'unfriendly' towards the Chinese government. Among the half of those who believed China would engage in warfare with another country, more than 30 per cent thought Japan was the most likely country to go to war with China. But when it comes to leisure, 20 per cent still picked Japan as their most desirable travel destination. Among those aged between 15 and 35, Japan was the place they most wanted to go. Survey organiser New Youth Forum believes Hongkongers, especially the young, knew little of China's foreign policy history. 'Hong Kong's young people are rational. They want to go to Japan because of their interest in Japanese culture and fashion trends, and this has nothing to do with politics,' said Kenneth Heung Hop-sang of the New Youth Forum. Andrew Ng Wai-ming, another representative, urged the government to include more on China's foreign relations in civil education. 'Youngsters should be taught about China's history with Japan, the US and Russia, so that we can have more historical references to analyse modern relations from an objective point of view,' he said. 'The government should also introduce youngsters to more Japanese arts and culture, to improve relations between the two countries. More cultural exchanges between youngsters from the two countries could help them to learn about the truth of history.' According to the survey, nearly 70 per cent believed China would overtake the US as the world's leader in 50 years. Eighty per cent believed China supported peace with other countries. And more than half believed China was strong in terms of both its economy and military status.
