A fighter jet attached to a naval aviation brigade under the PLA Southern Theater Command takes off for a 2-day continuous flight training exercise from February 24 to 25. Multi types of fighter jets participated in the flight training mission which included various offense and defense operations. Photo:China Military Online

Young people from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan should be allowed to join the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to contribute to the development of national defense, as some of them have voiced such expectations, a Taiwan deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC) proposed during this year's two sessions. 

Cai Peihui, an NPC deputy and a businessman from Taiwan island, said that he learned that some Hong Kong young people who live in the Chinese mainland with their parents want to apply to military academies and join the PLA to fulfill their duties as citizens and contribute to the country's national defense, according to a statement sent to the Global Times on Monday by the All-China Federation of Taiwan Compatriots.

Cai said that China should value their aspirations to enhance their national identity, and they can better contribute to social development after professional military training. 

Allowing young people from Hong Kong and Macao to join the PLA was proposed by lawmakers and political advisors as early as 2018. 

The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong proposed during the two sessions in 2018 to allow Hong Kong students who studied in Chinese mainland universities to join the PLA and grant them preferential policies such as tuition reductions.

Wu Qian, spokesperson of the Ministry of National Defense, said at a press briefing in August 2018 that Hong Kong residents' understanding of the PLA had deepened since Hong Kong's return to the motherland in 1997, and some Hong Kong compatriots had expressed a willingness to join the PLA. 

"We welcome the patriotic enthusiasm of Hong Kong residents and the related authority is discussing and researching the matter," Wu said.