A group of mainland astronauts will visit Hong Kong for four days from Tuesday and will meet young people and representatives of the technology sector, Chief Executive John Lee announced.

The delegation of 17 people is led by Lin Xiqiang, the Deputy Director General of the China Manned Space Agency, and includes astronauts Liu Boming who took part in the Shenzhou-12 mission, Wang Yaping who was on the Shenzhou-13 spaceflight, Chen Dong from Shenzhou-14 and Zhang Lu from Shenzhou-15.

Speaking ahead of this week's Executive Council meeting, Lee said the visit is to deepen people's understanding of the nation's space mission development and it also reflects how the country values young people in Hong Kong.

"The delegation will have various exchanges with youngsters including teachers and students from tertiary, secondary and primary schools. They will share with us the nation's history in aerospace development and the latest situation," he said.

"The delegation will meet with the innovation and technology sector and scientific researchers... The visit will further promote I&T development in Hong Kong, and help Hong Kong develop into an international I&T centre."