The exchange visit of 19 award-winning students and teachers of the first short film competition for all Macao secondary school students on "Consular Protection and Consular Services" to Beijing led by Mrs. Zhang Jinfeng, Deputy Commissioner of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the Macao SAR, and Mrs. Ao Ieong U, Deputy Director of the Identification Services Bureau of the Macao SAR, came to an successful end on the previous Friday (13th July 2012). Under the arrangements of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Macao, the delegation are substantially benefited. They have visited the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, attended the press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and even had an unusual ocassion to meet with the Foreign Ministry Spokesman of China at an exchange seminar during the five consecutive days of exchange. In addition, the delegation was arranged to visit the High School attached to Tsinghua University for an interactive exchange, experiencing the local learning lives in person. The delegation obtained a valuable experience and a very unique learning opportunity. Moreover, the delegation visited a number of historic landmarks including the National Stadium (the "Bird's Nest") for the 2008 Olympic Games, the Tiananmen Square, the Summer Palace, the Forbidden City and so on. In addition, the delegation also visited the Marco Polo Bridge (Lugou Bridge) and Yuanmingyuan Ruins Park. Through having on-site visits at the historic landmarks of China, students could have better understanding of the history of China and cultivate their patriotic feelings and senses of belonging and mission towards the motherland. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Macao have been doing their utmost in supporting and intensively assisting the Special Administrative Region Government on the promotion of consular protection and consular services all the time. With the guidance of the Department of Consular Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region, the first "Consular Protection and Consular Services Promotion Week" jointly organized by the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Macao and the Identification Services Bureau of the Macao Special Administrative Region was held in November 2011. Its purpose is to enhance Macao citizens' knowledge on consular protection and consular services, making them understand the services provided to Chinese citizens by overseas embassies or consulates of China as well as the relation between consular protection and themselves, so that they can request assistance from the overseas embassies or consulates of China in emergency. Students of the delegation mentioned that the exchange tour to Beijing is an eye-opening journey to them. They are no longer be limited to the textual and pictorial descriptions of books. Such visit allows them to step on the ground of the motherland in person and experience the national condition. Experiences like having a face-to-face interactive exchange with local students and participating in the press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs bring numerous advantages and a very special meaning to the students. At the same time, the organiser encourages the students to share their experiences of the visit with their classmates and families when they got home and to promote the knowledge of consular protection so that their friends and families will travel more safely and be better protected. Furthermore, the visit to Beijing has not only widened the horizon of Macao students and enriched their knowledge but also successfully diversified the promotion of consular protection and consular services. The Identification Services Bureau looks forward to work hard on promoting the knowledge of consular protection persistently, making Macao citizens better understand the need of preparation before going abroad and the self-responsibility and obligation when travelling overseas. In addition, Macao citizens need to raise the awareness of potential risks in foreign countries, so that they can avoid unnecessary dilemmas resulted from inadequate perceptions towards the foreign country and the lack of self-defense awareness.
