Former Hong Kong leader sets up new online channel to promote national identity, ‘deep sense of belonging’ among young people

Online educational channel under portal The China Current is managed by Think Hong Kong run by former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa

Tung says he hopes to make every Hongkonger proud of being Chinese

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Former Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

Published: 10:02pm, 17 Sep 2021Updated: 11:17pm, 17 Sep 2021

A think tank founded by a former Hong Kong leader has launched an online educational channel aiming to promote national identity among young people, featuring controversial topics such as Xinjiang cotton and the national security law.

The online channel under the portal The China Current is managed by Think Hong Kong run by former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa.

Tung, a vice-chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the country’s top advisory body, on Friday said the platform could provide teaching supplements for the newly renamed “citizenship and social development” subject, which replaces the controversial liberal studies starting this year.

The Chinese and Hong Kong flags outside the West Kowloon courts in Sham Shui Po. Photo: Roy Issa

“Cultivating a deep sense of belonging towards the country among Hong Kong’s young generation is of paramount importance in ensuring the smooth and long-term successful practice of the ‘one country, two systems’ policy,” he said in a congratulatory speech broadcast at the launch, referring to the framework under which the city is governed.

“My greatest wish in life is to make every Hongkonger proud of being Chinese.”

Liberal studies was introduced in 2009 as one of the four core subjects for senior secondary school pupils and aimed to enhance their social awareness and develop their critical thinking skills. However, after the pro-establishment camp blamed the subject for radicalising youth during the 2019 anti-government protests, the Education Bureau overhauled it earlier this year to focus on national development and patriotism.

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