HONG KONG - A youth exchange program named "Belt and Road Journey" kicked off here Thursday, aiming to raise awareness of the opportunities brought about by the Belt and Road Initiative.Twenty young people will travel by train at the end of this month to cities including Urumqi, capital of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and Kazakhstan's Almaty.The 20 young people, aged between 18 and 25, were selected from more than 500 applicants.During the six-day trip, they will visit local businesses and landmarks, and interact with local university students, one of the organizers, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) said at a press conference.In this way, the young people from Hong Kong will get "first-hand knowledge of the economic and cultural landscape of different Belt and Road regions," the organizer noted.The journey will be filmed and broadcast as a special TV series in September, as part of the HKTDC's ongoing efforts to promote the Belt and Road Initiative through the media and social media channels to attract more young people to get involved.HKTDC Deputy Executive Director Raymond Yip described the program as a flagship Belt and Road promotion event for young people this summer.He hoped that through direct interaction with local youths and visits to companies, the trip will help young people here gain a deeper understanding of the initiative.The initiative, proposed by China in 2013, refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, aiming at building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes of Silk Road. personalized silicone braceletscharity wristbandsflash drive wristbandprintable wristbandsprinted braceletscustom fidget spinnerswristband creationwristband keychain
The Ruins of St. Paul's of Historic Centre of Macao. [Photo/IC] MACAO - The Tourist Price Index in China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) for the second quarter of 2018 went up by 2.78 percent year-on-year to 129.86, the SAR's statistics service said on Friday. Information from the Statistics and Census Service indicated that the increase of the index was due to rising charges for hotel accommodation and restaurant services, higher bus fares and airfares, and higher prices of local food products. Among the various sections of goods and services, price indices of accommodation, transport and communications, as well as food, alcoholic beverages and tobacco rose by 7.05 percent, 6.30 percent and 4.25 percent year-on-year respectively. In comparison with the previous quarter, the index for the second quarter of 2018 decreased by 5.17 percent. The average Tourist Price Index for the last four quarters ending the second quarter of 2018 rose by 4.21 percent from the previous period, with notable increases in the price indices of accommodation, transport and communications. For the first half of 2018, the index went up by 4.48 percent year-on-year, with price indices of accommodation, as well as transport and communications rising by 13.64 percent and 6.44 percent respectively.
