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MSRS and BOC Jointly Organize “Operation Zhang Qian 2017” Kick-off Ceremony

2017-05-23

        The Maritime Silk Road Society (MSRS) and the Bank of China (Hong Kong) today (23 May) jointly organized the “Operation Zhang Qian – Undergraduate Summer Internship Programme 2017” kick-off ceremony at the Bank of China Centre in Olympian City to officially launch this year’s internship programme.

         “Operation Zhang Qian” was initiated by MSRS in 2016 to help university students in Hong Kong better understand and capitalize on the developmental opportunities offered by “the Belt and Road Initiative”.

        Now in its second year, the programme was supported by 19 sponsoring organizations which have offered 156 internship places for Hong Kong undergraduates to work in mainland China, Greece, Czech Republic, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam for four to eight weeks.

        Mrs Regina Ip and Mr Bernard Chan, Co-Chairs of the Maritime Silk Road Society; Ms Li Haixia, General Manager, Head of Human Resources, Human Resources Department of the Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited; Ms Eunice Yung, Vice-Chair (Administration) of the MSRS Youth Opportunities Committee; and Mr Roland Wong, Vice-Chair (Development) of the MSRS Youth Opportunities Committee spoke at the kick-off ceremony. Over 100 guests, including students who had been selected to take part in the programme, representatives of host organizations and participating institutions attended the ceremony.

        Speaking at the ceremony, Mrs Regina Ip, said, “Once again, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Bank of China for co-organizing the kick-off ceremony, sponsoring the venue, and arranging a briefing session for all students taking part in the internship programme.”

        Mrs Ip said, “My gratitude also goes to the 19 host organizations for their support of the programme. There are three organizations – Euroterra Capital, the Hong Kong & Macao Affairs Office of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Jardine Matheson Limited – that have joined the programme for the first time. It is worth mentioning that jobs provided by the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region will definitely enhance students’ understanding of ASEAN and the latest development of tourism, economy and business in the Autonomous Region.”

       According to Mr Bernard Chan, applicants for the internship programme have to face keen competition this year as the number of applications had increased by 20% to 600. At the same time, he was pleased to learn that some host companies had increased the number of internship places, including the Bank of China and Chatrium Hotels and Residences.

       Ms Li Haixia said, “As key members of the Chinese Bank, we should actively grasp historical opportunity – the Belt and Road Initiative, striving to develop ourselves and contributing whole-heartedly to the community. Intern students should take the bull by the horns, being innovative, having perseverance and the spirit of Zhang Qian.”

        Also addressing the ceremony, Ms Eunice Yung encouraged intern students to participate in the video competition and Instagram photo contest in order to share their invaluable moments during internships.

       Mr Roland Wong, who is also a mentor of the Operation Zhang Qian Alumni Network’s Mentorship Scheme, called on interns to join the Network upon completion of their internship as the Network was established to provide a platform for students and graduates to build up people relationship and to identify opportunities at work and in life.

       More than 600 students submitted applications under the internship programme. From 21 February to 11 April, about 450 applicants were invited to attend 58 face-to-face interview sessions conducted by MSRS. It is anticipated that about 100 students will be offered internship jobs when all the host organizations have completed the shortlisting process.

       This year’s host organizations are Bank of China (HK) Limited, CEFC China Energy Company Limited, Chatrium Hotels and Residences, China Merchants Group, China National Travel Service Group Corporation, China Resources (Holdings) Co., Ltd, CLP Holdings Limited, Euroterra Capital, Hong Kong & Macao Affairs Office of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Jardine Matheson Limited, K. Wah Construction Materials (HK) Co., Limited, Kerry Logistics Network Ltd, Lan Kwai Fong Group, Nanjing China Railway No. 2 Engineering Group Property Development Co., Ltd, Shangri-La International Hotel Management Ltd, The Fullerton Hotel Singapore, The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited, The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited, and YHS (Singapore) Pte Ltd.

         Local institutions participating in the internship programme include City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong Shue Yan University, Lingnan University, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, The Education University of Hong Kong, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, The University of Hong Kong, and the Vocational Training Council.

         MSRS will be organizing a video contest and Instagram photo contest for intern students to share their internship experience. Details of the video contest will be announced on the MSRS website (www.maritimesilkroad.org.hk) and MSRS’s Instagram (www.facebook.com/maritimesilkroad). 

 

1. Mrs Regina Ip delivering her remarks at the kick-off ceremony.

2. Mr Bernard Chan delivering his remarks at the kick-off ceremony.

3. Mrs Regina Ip and Mr Bernard Chan presented the Certificate of Appointment to Prof Alice Chiu, Advisor of MSRS.

4. Ms Li Haixia delivering her remarks at the kick-off ceremony.

5. Ms Eunice Yung delivering her remarks at the kick-off ceremony.

6. Mr Roland Wong delivering his remarks at the kick-off ceremony.

7. Officiating guests and sponsoring companies at the kick-off ceremony.

8. A group photo of Mrs Regina Ip taken with intern students at the kick-off ceremony.