Vice-Premier Han Zheng called upon national legislators from Hong Kong on Wednesday to pay special attention to the city's youth, to help them grasp opportunities presented by the country's major strategies.

Han, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, focused on the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

He made the remarks during a closed-door meeting with 36 Hong Kong deputies to the National People's Congress, the country's top legislature, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

According to Hong Kong NPC deputy Wong Yuk-shan, who was in the closed meeting, Han said the younger generation will be the major driving force in the development of both the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the nation.

Another NPC deputy from Hong Kong, Ma Fung-kwok, said all deputies should take the initiative to listen to the voices of the younger generation and encourage them to participate in the country's development.

Han told deputies to treat young people as their own children, put themselves into their shoes and communicate with them in ways they understand, Wong said.

Saying that the Greater Bay Area blueprint provides a steppingstone for Hong Kong's development, Han pledged that the central government will release additional measures to support the younger generation.