On July 23rd, CCIP exchange visitors had an opportunity to gain valuable insight into the local and international political culture of the United States. They spent a full day visiting a number of government offices, enjoying cordial exchanges with a number of political leaders.

The students first visited New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer's office and were welcomed by Jesse Campoamor, Director of Community Affairs, and Jessica Silver, Director of Strategic Operations.

They outlined the daily affairs of the comptroller's office and its mode of operation, future prospects, and cooperation with other government departments, among which the students were most interested in the comptroller's concern for disadvantaged minorities.

"New York, as a port city of immigrants and with many minority communities, has many citizens who are at a disadvantage, so the government's aiding of them embodies social justice, which is very meaningful," said Holly from the Hang Seng Management College.

Scott M. Stringer is the former president of the borough of Manhattan, and he has been a supporter of the CCIP program since he became comptroller in 2013. The annual CCIP Recognition Ceremony a few days ago at Citi Field entertained guests from the comptroller's office.

The visit went smoothly, thanks to Elaine Fan, the citywide Asian outreach & Queens Borough community liaison officer with the comptroller's office.

Subsequently, CCIP students had the opportunity to visit the United Nations.

"Thanks to the opportunity provided by CCIP, I was able to have a face-to-face discussion about current events with international political leaders!" said Circle from Hong Kong City University, who is passionately interested in international affairs and helped to organize the visit.

After lunch, the students walked to the nearby regional office of two US senators. One group went to Senator Gillibrand's office; another group went to Senator Schumer's office located in the same building.

Two representatives warmly welcomed the students to visit and were careful to explain the daily operations of the offices and the rights and duties of each senator. Students were then encouraged to ask questions.

Jin Shi from the University of Hong Kong, interning in the district office of Assemblywoman Rozic, raised questions about the differences in duties between senators and assembly members.

"I have always been wondering how senators, on one hand, keep voters satisfied while, on the other hand, implement their own policies, and I was inspired by the strategies explained by the representative," said Charlotte Yeung, a student at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, majoring in Government and Public Administration.

CCIP exchange visitors ended the day at the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in New York and were welcomed by Director Steve Barclay.

The office, set up in 1983, has served as a link between the 31 eastern states of the US and Hong Kong and promoted investment and trade, academic, and arts and cultural exchanges. During the visit, Director Barclay engaged the students in a lively discussion about the opportunities and challenges arising from the closer HK-US business and cultural ties.

"The economic and financial ties between the US and Hong Kong are always getting closer, which is an opportunity for the younger generation. Mr. Barclay's talk on bilateral economic and trade cooperation let me have a clear understanding of upcoming challenges," commented Wilson, from Hang Seng Management College.

"After listening to the views of Mr. Barclay, I have become more interested in applying for government jobs in Hong Kong," stated Phyllis Chan, a student at the Hong Kong Institute of Education.

After a full day of hands-on learning about government, the CCIP exchange visitors had more understanding about the United States' political system, the role it plays in international affairs, and Hong Kong-US relations.

"I specially took a day off and participated in all of the visits. This trip allowed me to hear a lot of views and opinions which can't be learned from books," said Claudia Hui from Hang Seng Management College.

"I think the arrangement of four government visits on the same day is really right. The same problems can be analyzed from several different angles," commented Macau University of Science and Technology student Irene.