HONG KONG - China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and the Netherlands on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to mark the establishment of a bilateral Working Holiday Scheme for young people of the two places.The agreement was signed by the HKSAR government's Secretary for Labor and Welfare, Law Chi-kwong, and the Consul General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Hong Kong, Annemieke Ruigrok.Law said, "Apart from broadening their horizons, this scheme provides an opportunity for young people in Hong Kong and the Netherlands to gain living and working experience in a foreign culture."Ruigrok hailed the MoU as a sign of the excellent shape of friendly relations between the Netherlands and Hong Kong. She encouraged young people to make full use of the opportunities provided by the scheme. "This will lead to a deeper understanding of each other's cultures, which will further strengthen our relations, today and in the future," she said.The scheme with the Netherlands is Hong Kong's 13th working holiday scheme. Since 2001, Hong Kong has established working holiday schemes with New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, Germany, Japan, Canada, South Korea, France, Britain, Austria, Hungary and Sweden. So far, more than 85,000 Hong Kong youths have benefited from these schemes.The working holiday scheme between Hong Kong and the Netherlands will commence operation on Jan 1 next year. Under the scheme, youths from each side will be able to apply for a visa, which will allow them to stay in the Netherlands or Hong Kong for up to 12 months. During the period, they may work to finance their stay or study short-term courses. There will be an annual quota of 100 from each side. livestrong braceletcustom rubber bandshen do wristbandsjordan wristbandbracelet maker online24hr wristbandsilicone keychain
SEOUL - The Republic of Korea (ROK) on Monday offered military and Red Cross talks with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to ease military tensions along the inter-Korean border and resume humanitarian exchange between peoples of the two sides. Vice Defense Minister Suh Choo-suk said in a statement at the defense ministry that the ROK proposed to the DPRK for holding talks of the military authorities on Friday at Tongilgak, a building in the DPRK side of the truce village of Panmunjom. The dialogue was aimed at stopping all hostile acts that escalate military tensions near the military demarcation line (MDL) dividing the two Koreas, the vice minister said. Suh called on Pyongyang to restore the military communications line in the western region to send a reply to the ROK's dialogue overture, expressing anticipation of the DPRK's positive response. The dialogue overture was a follow-up measure to the ROK President Moon Jae-in's peace initiative, declared in Berlin on July 6, to stop all hostile acts along the inter-Korean border on the date of July 27 that marks the 64th anniversary of the ceasefire agreement ending the 1950-1953 Korean War. In his Berlin speech, Moon also proposed holding Red Cross talks with the DPRK for the reunion of separate families of the two Koreas on Oct 4 that marks the 10th anniversary of the Oct 4 joint declaration and also the traditional Chuseok holiday. The Oct 4 declaration was the outcome of the inter-Korean summit that was held in Pyongyang in 2007 between late ROK President Roh Moo-hyun and late DPRK leader Kim Jong Il, father of the current leader Kim Jong Un. As another follow-up measure to Moon's initiative, the ROK Red Cross proposed to its DPRK counterpart holding humanitarian talks on Aug 1 at the Peace House, a building in the ROK side of Panmunjom. The dialogue was designed to hold a reunion event of families, who have been separated since the 1950-1953 Korean War ended in armistice, on the occasion of the Chuseok holiday in early October.
