Hong Kong Promotes Higher Education as International Hub During UGC Delegation's Visit to the US and UK.

UGC Secretary-General visits US and UK

The following is issued on behalf of the University Grants Committee:

The Secretary-General of the University Grants Committee (UGC), Professor James Tang, led a delegation to visit the United States and the United Kingdom from May 25 (San Diego time) to June 6 (Birmingham time) as part of the effort to promote Hong Kong's development into an international hub for post-secondary education.

Together with the delegation comprising all eight UGC-funded universities under the aegis of the Heads of Universities Committee's Standing Committee on Internationalisation (HUCOMSCI), Professor Tang attended the NAFSA Annual Conference and Expo 2025 held in San Diego, the United States, where he spoke at a dedicated session on the strengths of Hong Kong's higher education sector and the opportunities presented to students from around the world. With funding support from the UGC, the HUCOMSCI also set up a Hong Kong Pavilion to showcase Hong Kong's internationalised and diversified higher education environment that welcomes academics and students from around the world to realise their aspirations.

"Over the years, with the substantial investment by the Government in higher education, the eight UGC-funded universities have continued to grow, with five ranked among the world's top 100, six within Asia's top 50, and four as the top most international universities in the world. Some 70 per cent of our research outputs are assessed as internationally excellent, while the most recent round of quality audits also reaffirms the quality of educational experience that our universities offer to students. Hong Kong is indeed the ideal destination for students to pursue their further studies and achieve greater success," said Professor Tang at the session at the NAFSA Conference and Expo.

For the first time, the UGC also supported the Hong Kong Teaching Excellence Alliance and the HUCOMSCI to share with the international audience on how the UGC-funded universities have grasped the immense potential brought by artificial intelligence in enhancing students' learning experiences. This has once again demonstrated Hong Kong's leadership in quality education through investment and innovation.

Professor Tang then attended the International Higher Education Forum 2025 held on June 4 (Birmingham time) in Birmingham, the United Kingdom, to share the factors underpinning Hong Kong's success as an international hub for post-secondary education. He stressed that academic freedom and institutional autonomy have been the cornerstones of Hong Kong's success, while highlighting the diversified composition of Hong Kong's academic staff. Hong Kong universities attract a strong pool of distinguished scholars with a rich repertoire of international experience, and indeed some 70 per cent of them come from outside Hong Kong.

In the 2024 Policy Address, the Government announced its support for establishing the "Study in Hong Kong" brand in order to attract more meritorious students to pursue their studies in Hong Kong. Through participation in international conferences and exhibitions, Hong Kong has continued to expand its network for student mobility and research collaboration. As of November 2024, the eight UGC-funded universities have jointly signed 2660 student exchange agreements with universities from around the world, and engaged in over 6800 active research collaborations with other institutions. At present, around one out of four students in UGC-funded universities are from outside Hong Kong. The Government will continue to support universities to strive for further internationalisation, thereby reinforcing their global reputation and scaling new heights.

During the visit, Professor Tang also met with senior management and prominent scholars from top-tier higher education institutions in the United States and the United Kingdom to exchange views on the latest developments in higher education. He also highlighted that Hong Kong's outstanding universities have been a welcoming academic home for top scholars and talented students from around the world. As an international hub for higher education, Hong Kong's doors are always open to all who want to realise their academic pursuits and explore the exciting opportunities offered by one of the world's most dynamic cities.

FSD conducts fire safety inspection and enforcement operation in Yau Tsim Mong District

In light of the widespread public concern over building fire safety, the Fire Services Department (FSD) yesterday (January 12) carried out fire safety inspections and enforcement operations at Chuang's London Plaza and Dundas Square in Yau Tsim Mong District to eliminate potential fire hazards and ensure public safety.

During the operations, the FSD deployed dedicated inspection teams to target on the fire safety conditions of the common areas and licensed premises within the buildings. The fire personnel identified multiple violations of the Fire Services (Fire Hazard Abatement) Regulation (Cap. 95F) in the common areas of various floors and in seven licensed food premises, including obstruction of means of escape, fire service installation or equipment (FSIs) not being kept in efficient working order due to defects, as well as defects in smoke stop doors. The FSD instituted one prosecution for obstruction of means of escape and issued 32 Fire Hazard Abatement Notices regarding the irregularities.

Since the fire safety violations by the licensed food premises were suspected of breaching the licensing conditions, the FSD has referred the cases to the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) for follow-up action. The FSD will continue to liaise closely with the FEHD to determine whether further enforcement actions should be taken against the licensed food premises concerned.

Furthermore, as the building management companies of the buildings failed to comply with the Code of Conduct on Handling Fire Safety Work issued under the Property Management Services Ordinance (Cap. 626) and relevant best practice guidelines, including proper maintenance of smoke stop doors to keep them in good condition, the FSD has reminded the management companies concerned and referred the cases to the Property Management Services Authority for follow-up action.

During the operation, the fire personnel also carried out fire prevention publicity and education to property owners, tenants and building management staff on common fire hazards and preventive measures to raise their fire safety awareness and mitigate fire risk from the source.

The FSD emphasises that commercial buildings have a high density of people and thus a relatively high fire risk. Property owners, tenants and property management agents must jointly bear the responsibility for fire safety, ensuring the means of escape are unobstructed, smoke stop doors remain closed at all times, FSIs are properly maintained, and annual inspections of the FSIs are carried out as required by law.

The department will continue to work with all parties to promote a fire safety culture and jointly build a safer and more resilient community through a multipronged approach, including enforcement, publicity and interdepartmental collaboration.

Source: AI-found images