HONG KONG -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday called on Hong Kong youths to choose the right path and serve Hong Kong and the country, a day before the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China.

Xi made the remarks when visiting the Junior Police Call (JPC) Permanent Activity Center and Integrated Youth Training Camp, where he talked with JPC members and asked about their life, study and training.

Youths are the future and the hope of the country, he told JPC members.

"There would be no promising future for the country without the healthy growth of the youths," Xi said.

"Every generation of youths has its own historic missions and opportunities. Contemporary youths of Hong Kong shall seize the historic opportunities, and choose the right path forward to serve Hong Kong and the country," he said.

The president also praised Hong Kong's over 30,000 police officers, saying they had played a key role in safeguarding the rule of law and maintaining Hong Kong's stability and prosperity over the past 20 years.

Noting that the Hong Kong police attaches great importance to law-related education among the youth, Xi said it is a far-sighted move.

Affiliated to the Hong Kong Police Force, the JPC is a major youth organization in Hong Kong with a membership of more than 180,000.

Xi called on the JPC to make further efforts to cultivate a new generation of youths in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) who love both the country and Hong Kong.

HKSAR Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying accompanied Xi during the visit.

Also on Friday, Xi's wife Peng Liyuan visited an elderly center in the company of Leung's wife Regina Leung Tong Ching-yee.

At the TWGHs Jockey Club Sunshine Complex For the Elderly, Peng asked the senior residents about their life, daily routine and rehabilitation treatment. She also joined them in making handicrafts and expressed her wishes for their happy life.