Hong Kong is an international hub for university students

Mark Pinkstone/Former Chief Information Officer of HK government

In his annual policy address last year, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu outlined his plan to make Hong Kong an international hub for university students, and this year he delivered the goods.

In his 2024 Policy Address, Lee said the Government was committed to developing Hong Kong into an international hub for post secondary education. This, he said would include a raft of measures to complete a comprehensive programme to draw more talent to Hong Kong.

His comments came hot on the heels of the release of the Times Higher Education World University rankings which placed Hong Kong’s City University as the world’s most international university. The University of Hong Kong was placed 6th, the University of Science and Technology 9th and Hong Kong Polytechnic University 10th. Another nail in the coffin of Hong Kong’s doomsayers.

Other Hong Kong universities include the Chinese University of Hong Kong (13th), Hong Kong Baptist University, Lingnam University, and Education University of Hong Kong, all funded by the University Grants Committee (UGC). There are also three self-funded universities: Hong Kong Shue Yan University, Hang Seng University and Saint Francis University.

And to keep the trajectory skyrocketing upward, the government has launched a $30 million “Study in Hong Kong” brand to be used by the local universities to attract foreign students to Hong Kong. The website (https://www.studyinhongkong.edu.hk/en/hong-kong-education) covers everything possible about Hong Kong and university life, including funding, accommodation and an insight into the various universities.

It even invites the international students to remain in Hong Kong after graduation with hints and links to various employment agencies looking for top notch talent.

This falls in line with Hong Kong’s rapid development as a science and technology hub. The Northern Metropolis development, with its focus on education and technology, will undoubtedly create a surge in demand for student talent. More than 60 hectares of land in the four areas of Hung Shui Kiu/Ha Tsuen New Development Area, Ngau Tam Mei and the New Territories North (NTN) New Town, has been reserved by the government for post-secondary education development.

“The Government has earmarked over 80 hectares of land in the Northern Metropolis for the Northern Metropolis University Town and will encourage local post secondary institutions to introduce more branded programmes, research collaboration and exchange projects with renowned Mainland and overseas institutions in a flexible and innovative manner. We will retain flexibility in the planning process to facilitate development of student hostels. We plan to publish the Northern Metropolis University Town Development Conceptual Framework in the first half of 2026”, the CE said in his policy address.

The government-operated UGC says that for the 2023/24 academic year some 100,786 students will be enrolled in UGC-funded programmes. Of these, some 23,097 students will be enrolled as non-local; 17,822 will be from the Mainland and 4,410 from Asia and 823 from other countries. The most popular subjects are science (6,368 enrolments by non-local students) and engineering and technology (5.802 non-local enrolments).

In his address last year, Lee said that part-time job restrictions imposed on non-local students would be lifted, as part of the city’s measures to entice professional talent and encourage more to stay on. He also announced several longer-term projects for cross-boundary university collaboration with the mainland including a microelectronic academy to be set up to study third-generation semiconductors, and research projects between Hong Kong and neighbouring Shenzhen.

Currently, just 1 per cent of overseas graduates from Hong Kong’s universities are staying on at a time when the city is vying with other Asian countries to attract top graduates. The lifting of part-time work restrictions is being implemented on a trial basis for two years, during which more than 35,000 students are expected to benefit.

In this year’s address he elaborated on this programme. He said that in creating the "Study in Hong Kong" brand, the government will strive to host international education conferences and exhibitions. It will also encourage local post secondary institutions to enhance collaboration and exchange with their counterparts around the world in promoting the "Study in Hong Kong" brand on a global scale, and to attract more overseas students, especially those from ASEAN and other Belt and Road countries, to study in Hong Kong through the provision of scholarships and other incentives.

Housing of graduates has been of continual concern with the government and the universities, with property agents claiming that the private student housing market can only accommodate 0.4 per cent of the total enrolled population. They say that in the next four years, post-secondary university hostels in Hong Kong will create additional spillover demand of 22,300 bedspaces into the private accommodation market.

Lee said in his address that to improve hostel facilities the government will launch a pilot scheme to streamline the processing of application in relation to planning, lands and building plans, to encourage the market to convert hotels and other commercial buildings into student hostels on a self financing and privately funded basis, thus increasing the supply of student hostels.

“The Government will also make available suitable sites for the private sector to build new hostels, having regard to market demand. The Development Projects Facilitation Office under the Development Bureau (DEVB) will provide one stop advisory and facilitation services for these projects,” he said.

Overall, Lee’s address was very bullish blending plans to attract more talent to the city as it transforms itself into a world-leading high technology hub. Foreign students graduating from a Hong Kong university has the advantage of gaining work experience in Hong Kong, the Greater Bay area and in the mainland before returning to their original home. With qualifications from a world renown university and work experience from one of the fastest growing economies, the world is the oyster for Hong Kong graduates.

Mark Pinkstone

** 博客文章文責自負,不代表本公司立場 **

Mark Pinkstone/Former Chief Information Officer of HK government

Hong Kong (Tourism) has long been the backbone to the city’s economy but has been dealt a serious blow from the 2019/20 riots, the COVID-19 outbreak, and adverse publicity in the western media.

Prior to these upheavals Hong Kong was receiving more than 30 million visitors a year. But in 2022 it dropped to a mere 600,000. However, it is making a comeback and last year it had reached its previous high arrivals and so far about 21 million visitors arrived in Hong Kong in the first half of 2024 (January to June), for a 64 per cent year on year increase and a daily average of 116,000 visitors. It’s goal is to reach more than 40 million by year’s end.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu is not being complacent with this clawback and has plans to continue the growth rate in visitor arrivals.

In his 2024 policy address Lee announced that the Culture, Sports and Tourism Board (CSTB) is drawing up a blueprint to be published next year after consultation with the trade on how to enhance the industry.

He said the recently launched “Night Vibes Hong Kong” had boosted the city’s vibrancy, bringing a novel experience to residents and visitors alike and showcasing the unique charm of Hong Kong as a metropolis.

His plan for the industry includes transforming our cultural and heritage sites into a Characteristic Local Tourism Incentive scheme to encourage the trade to develop more thematic tours, including national history tours, green ecology tours, marine tours and a slate of others to showcase the diversified cultural landscape of Hong Kong.

Promoting cruise tourism is also highlighted in Lee’s address. There were 164 cruise ship calls last year, which was a 78 per cent increase on the pre-pandemic period. Lee said that by creating demand in source markets, developing cruise tourism products and improving support for the 32 infrastructures in the vicinity of the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, “we strive to attract more cruise ships to Hong Kong and strengthen Hong Kong’s competitiveness as Asia’s cruise hub in the long run. “

An inter departmental Working Group on Smart Tourism will be set up under the CSTB to formulate and implement initiatives to promote smart tourism, including launching a new round of the Information Technology Development Matching Fund Scheme for Travel Agents, adopting technologies to enhance visitors’ experience, driving tourist attractions to provide multilingual virtual guides, and making use of smart technologies to strengthen management of inbound tour groups.

Sha Tau Kok, once a forbidden township straddling the boundary with China, is being opened up as a tourism destination. The town is separated by Chung Ying Street with one half in Hong Kong and the other in Shenzhen.

Lee said that starting from next year the area will be gradually opened up to tourism.
“In the initial stage, visitors can apply online for Closed Area Permits to enter Sha Tau Kok for sightseeing. This will promote cultural and eco tourism of Sha Tau Kok and nearby outlying islands. We will also explore with the Shenzhen Municipal Government the feasibility of developing a cultural tourism zone in Sha Tau Kok on the Hong Kong side and Shatoujiao on the Shenzhen side, including exploring arrangements to facilitate access to the cultural tourism zone by visitors of both sides,” he said.

Of course, the cornerstone of tourism is aviation. To ease passenger flow, the Airport Authority of Hong Kong will next year introduce a “smart lane” so that passengers will no longer need to take out items such as liquids and electronic devices from their carry-on luggage during aviation screening.

An autonomous transportation system is planned for 2025 to carry passengers along the Airport City Link, connecting SkyCity to the Hong Kong post of the Hong Kong Zuhai Macau Bridge (HZMB) and later to Tung Chung Town centre.

The 55-km HZMB is the longest bridge-cum-tunnel sea crossing in the world and has become a vital link between the three cities.

Lee’s plan is to utilise the bridge in a “fly-via-Zhuhai-Hong Kong” passenger service for visitors arriving in Hong Kong to take advantage of Zhuhai’s vast aviation network by travelling to the neighbouring city via the new bridge link.

Overall, Lee’s third policy address was well received. Delivery took 2 ½ hours to read his 114-page blueprint for the future. It was time well spent as he mapped Hong Kong’s future. Although the various topics were in short bullet points without details, policy secretaries will follow-up in press briefing for a week to elaborate on their various subjects.