LCQ8: Promoting national defence education – MIL Asia Pacific Publishing Engine

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

LCQ8: Promoting national defence education
Question:

The country revised, adopted and implemented in September 2024 the National Defence Education Law of the People’s Republic of China, which stipulates that national defence education is the foundation for building and consolidating national defence and an important way to enhance national cohesion and improve the overall quality of the citizens. There are views that national defence education, being a core component of patriotic education and national security education, is crucial for strengthening the sense of national identity, the sense of national pride and the awareness of national defence among Hong Kong people, particularly young people. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the number of local youth national defence and military experience activities funded or co-organised by the SAR Government, as well as the respective number of participants, their age distribution and the amount of government funding allocated, in each year from 2023 to 2025;

(2) whether the Working Group on Patriotic Education (Working Group) has established more indicative strategies for promoting national defence education in local primary and secondary schools and tertiary institutions under its work plans for 2026 and 2027; whether the Working Group has future plans to collaborate with the Hong Kong Garrison and/or Mainland institutions to increase the number of places for local or Mainland military experience camps, so as to meet the demands of more schools and youth groups; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(3) whether the SAR Government has future plans to step up communication and collaboration with the Hong Kong Garrison or relevant Mainland authorities to secure the visit to Hong Kong of more advanced national military equipment for exhibition or public viewing on major festive occasions such as the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Day or National Defence Education Day, so as to enhance Hong Kong people’s understanding and awareness of national defence; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(4) of the exchange programmes participated by tertiary institutions and primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong to the Mainland for thematic studies on national defence, military affairs or aerospace technologies under the Education Bureau’s programme of Mainland study tours of the Citizenship and Social Development Subject or other government-funded projects, as well as the numbers of participants therein, in the past three years; how the Government assesses the actual educational effectiveness of these study tours; and

(5) in the era of big data and digitalisation, whether the Government has plans to increase resource investment in frontier technology (such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, augmented reality and metaverse technology), as well as to collaborate with scientific research institutes to develop simulation systems suitable for classroom national defence education, with a view to enhancing young people’s interest in national defence technology and the effectiveness of national defence education through immersive and interactive methods; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:
     The Government has been making relentless efforts to build mainstream values characterised by patriotism with affection for our country and Hong Kong and in conformity with the principle of “one country, two systems”. It has also been actively organising a diverse range of public and school education activities to promote patriotic education and national security education, with a view to enhancing citizens’ and students’ sense of national identity, national pride, and awareness of safeguarding national security. Among these, national defence education constitutes an important component of patriotic education and national security education.

     In response to the question raised by the Hon Wu Ying-peng, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB), the Security Bureau and the Education Bureau (EDB) provide a consolidated reply as follows:

(1) to (5)

Collaboration with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison

     In celebration of Hong Kong’s return to the Motherland, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Hong Kong Garrison organises barracks open days around July 1, with a view to further enhancing communication and exchanges with different sectors of the local community. In 2021, the PLA Hong Kong Garrison Exhibition Center was set up at Ngong Shuen Chau Barracks. An exhibition themed “Dreams of the East” is staged in its three thematic exhibition halls, namely “the Chinese Dream”, “the Dream of a Strong Military” and “the PRC HK Garrison”, along with a weaponry and equipment area displaying historical photos, antiques and models of the PLA’s military equipment. Through the visits, members of the public can deepen their understanding of the remarkable achievements of the country, the nation’s military history and the work of the Hong Kong Garrison.

     As one of the highlight events of the Youth Festival, the HYAB has organised visits to the PLA Hong Kong Garrison Exhibition Center for local youth (including leaders and members of youth uniformed groups/non-governmental organisations, youth hostel tenants and Youth Link members) since 2023. This initiative, benefiting over 700 participants in total, aims to enhance young people’s understanding of our country’s military history and the work of the Hong Kong Garrison, strengthening affection for and sense of belonging to the country. The visits are organised by the HYAB mainly through its existing resources, thus the expenditure involved cannot be singled out. Over the past three years, the District Offices (DOs) under the Home Affairs Department have organised a total of four visits to the PLA Hong Kong Garrison Exhibition Center, drawing nearly 200 participants, the majority of whom were young people aged 12 to 35. These visits were arranged by the respective DOs using their existing resources and manpower, and no additional funding was involved.

     The EDB has also issued circular memorandums to primary and secondary schools, encouraging schools to arrange visits to the PLA Hong Kong Garrison Exhibition Center so as to enhance primary and secondary students’ sense of national identity, national pride and national defence awareness, and to enable them to deeply appreciate the importance of safeguarding national security. At the same time, the EDB jointly organises the “Military Summer Camp for Hong Kong Youth” with the Hong Kong Garrison and the Concerted Efforts Resource Centre for secondary students each year. The numbers of students joining the “Military Summer Camp for Hong Kong Youth” from the 2023/24 to 2025/26 school years are set out as follows:

School year
     In addition, there have also been warship visits to Hong Kong in recent years. For example, the Shandong Naval Taskforce, and the 83rd taskforce of the PLA’s Navy visited Hong Kong for exchanges in July and October 2025 respectively. These activities enabled the Hong Kong community to gain a better understanding of the achievements of our country’s military development and construction, and have enhanced Hong Kong citizens’ sense of identity and their pride in the country. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government will provide the necessary assistance as needed to facilitate the PLA’s preparation for related activities, and will also assist in arranging members of the public to participate in these activities, so that the public could personally experience the country’s remarkable accomplishments in national defence and military development. The HKSAR Government will continue to communicate with the PLA and support the discharge of their work.

Organising diversified activities

     The Government also makes good use of significant dates to promote relevant education. For example, 2025 marked the 80th Anniversary of Victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. The Government organised a series of commemorative activities. Among them, the EDB launched various learning activities to enable students to remember history and cherish peace. The EDB also issued a circular memorandum encouraging schools to arrange for students to watch the military parade on September 3 last year – the Victory Day of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression – so that students could learn the indomitable spirit of the Chinese nation in its War of Resistance and understand the latest development of national defence.

     The Hong Kong Museum of the War of Resistance and Coastal Defence (MWRCD) under the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) was converted from the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence on September 3, 2024. Focusing on the history of the War of Resistance, as well as the coastal defence and military development of Hong Kong, the MWRCD highlights the core theme of safeguarding the homeland through “War of Resistance” and “Coastal Defence”. The MWRCD also organises various types of public and school programmes to enhance the public and students’ national confidence and patriotism, while deepening their understanding of the significant role played by Hong Kong in the history of national defence.

     The HYAB subsidises youth uniformed groups for organising family-related activities each year to promote family values. The funded activities include visits to military facilities for members of the uniformed groups and their families to foster harmonious family relationships and deepen their understanding of our country. One such visit was organised in 2023, 2024 and 2025 respectively. The numbers of participants, age range of participants and the funding provided by the Government are set out below:

YearAged over 18: 84Aged over 18: 44Aged over 18: 57
Organising Mainland study tours and exchange activities

     Since 2009, the Hong Kong Space Museum under the LCSD has been organising the “Young Astronaut Training Camp”. This annual programme selects 30 local secondary school students to travel to Beijing, Jiuquan, Xi’an and other locations during the summer holidays to participate in astronaut training programmes and learn about the country’s development and achievements in aerospace technology. According to the survey results of the programme, the training camp has enhanced students’ interest in aerospace technology and astronomy, enabled them to experience the country’s scientific achievements first-hand, and successfully inspired some students to pursue university studies in aerospace engineering, astronomy and physics, thereby nurturing future talent for the scientific research sector.

     In the past three years, the HYAB also organised young people to participate in activities themed on visiting barracks and the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, etc in Mainland cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and sponsored Mainland exchange projects with the themes of national defense, military affairs or aerospace technology through the “HYAB Funding Scheme for Youth Exchange in the Mainland”. The total beneficiaries were over 4 300. Upon completion of the exchange projects, the HYAB would gauge the views of participants on the project through evaluation questionnaires or other means, so as to monitor the effectiveness and quality of the projects.

     The EDB has been organising diversified Mainland exchange programmes (MEPs) and subsidising schools to organise such programmes for primary and secondary students. The itineraries cover visits relating to national defence, military affairs, aviation and aerospace technology, such as visits to the Guangzhou National Defence Education Centre, Zhuhai National Defence Mobilisation (Civil Air Defence) Education Centre, Wenchang Aerospace Supercomputing Centre and the Zhuhai Aerospace Land, as well as the National Defence Education Experience Camp held at the National Defence Education Base in Zhongshan, with a view to enhancing students’ understanding of the importance of national defence security, the strength of national military technology, and our country’s development and achievements in aerospace technology. The numbers of students joining the MEPs related to national defence, military affairs, or aviation and aerospace technology from the 2023/24 to 2025/26 school years are set out as follows:

School year(rounded down to the nearest hundred)
The EDB launched the Mainland study tours for the senior secondary subject of Citizenship and Social Development (CS) in April 2023, and has long attached great importance to the integration of themes related to national defence, military affairs, and aviation and aerospace technology into study tour activities. These include visits to the Zhuhai Aerospace Land, Shandong Eastern Aerospace Port Command and Control Centre, and the National Big Data Exhibition Centre in Guizhou, as well as relevant training at learning sites such as the Guangzhou Activity Base and the Northwestern Polytechnical University. From the 2023/24 to 2025/26 school years, about half of the CS Mainland study tour itineraries involved national defence, military affairs, or aviation and aerospace technology, with the numbers being 13, 14 and 15 respectively and over 67 800 students participating. The numbers of CS Mainland study tour itineraries involving national defence, military affairs, or aviation and aerospace technology and the number of participating students from the 2023/24 to 2025/26 school years are set out as follows:

School year(rounded down to the nearest hundred)
     The EDB has all along been using various channels, including school visits, inspections, collection of student work (such as photos, video clips and student reflections), and interviews with teachers and students to understand and review the learning effectiveness of MEPs for students and CS Mainland study tours. The EDB also collects participants’ feedback through deployment of staff for on-site participation, questionnaire surveys, post-trip sharing sessions, etc, to continuously optimise the design and arrangements of the learning activities. According to the results of questionnaire surveys, feedback from teachers and students has been very positive. They generally agree that the Mainland exchanges and study tours help deepen their understanding of our country’s development in national defence, military affairs, aviation and aerospace technology etc, extend classroom learning, and enhance their sense of national identity and national pride, as well as awareness of safeguarding national security.

     Starting from the 2022-25 triennium, the University Grants Committee (UGC) has stipulated that UGC-funded universities should incorporate values education, together with education on the Constitution, the Basic Law and the Hong Kong National Security Law, as an integral part of their curricula, with a view to nurturing students to be law-abiding and responsible citizens. In this regard, the
     The UGC has consistently encouraged publicly-funded universities to promote exchanges between local students and students from the Chinese Mainland. Starting from the 2023/24 academic year onwards, the UGC has injected $100 million into the “Funding Scheme for Chinese Mainland and Global Engagement and Student Learning Experience”, enabling universities to use the funding to provide students with more learning opportunities outside Hong Kong, enhance cross-cultural exchanges on campus, and create a diverse and inclusive international learning environment. In particular, universities have funded local students to participate in exchange programmes and study tours (including in areas such as national defence and aerospace technology) in the Chinese Mainland, which help students understand the national context and strengthen their sense of national identity with and belonging towards the motherland.

     The Education Sub-group under the Working Group on Patriotic Education continues to receive reports from the EDB on the implementation of national security education and national defence education in primary and secondary schools as well as tertiary institutions (including the relevant parts mentioned above) and puts forward suggestions. The Government will continue to actively follow up on the relevant suggestions, and to continuously develop and optimise various related initiatives based on the learning needs and interests of young people, with a view to nurturing them into a younger generation with a strong sense of national identity, a commitment to safeguarding national security, and a love for our country and Hong Kong.
Issued at HKT 15:20

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