CityUHK releases "Future City Index 2025" Hong Kong ranked as top ten Leading Future Cities, strengthening role as International Talent Hub

City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) today (19 May) launched the “Future City Index 2025” (CityUHK FCI), the world’s first city-level benchmarked report assessing the long-term development capabilities of 100 global cities across education, technology, talents, and finance. Based on an analysis of key indicators, the CityUHK FCI ranks Hong Kong among the world’s top ten “Leading Future Cities”, and identifies its top ten positions in “Talent Hub”, “Connection Hub”, “Resilience”, and “Future-positioning”. These results underscore Hong Kong’s competitiveness and strategic value on the global innovation stage.

The launch of CityUHK FCI was officiated by Mr Chris Sun, Secretary for Labour and Welfare of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR); Professor the Honourable Michael Ngai, CityUHK Council Chairman; and Professor Lee Chun-sing, CityUHK Acting President. Mr Peter Yan King-shun, Director-General of Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises of the Government of the HKSAR, and the Honourable Mr Dennis Leung Tsz-wing, Member of the Legislative Council of the HKSAR, also attended.

In his speech, Mr Sun remarked, “Hong Kong enjoys the strong support of the Motherland while staying closely connected to the world. As the country embarks on its 15th Five-Year Plan, Hong Kong will further its role as the ‘Super Connector’ and ‘Super value-adder’. By partnering with universities to reinforce its role as a global talent hub, the city is committed to attracting top-tier professionals from the Chinese Mainland and overseas, building a world-class talent pool, and bolstering its development as an International Hub for High-calibre Talents. The CityUHK FCI offers global insights and a visionary outlook for Hong Kong’s growth. It plays a crucial role in enhancing the city's competitiveness and reinforcing its strategic status as a vital link between the Chinese Mainland and the international innovation and start-up ecosystems.”

In his welcome remarks, Professor Ngai stated that CityUHK fully supports the Government of the HKSAR to promote integrated development of education, technology, talents, and finance, and is committed to enhancing the “Study in Hong Kong” brand for retaining global talent.

“The Index offers a forward-looking benchmark for policymakers, researchers, industry leaders, and public institutions. It provides strategic direction for collaboration among government, industry, academia, research, and investment, as well as nurtures and attracts world-class talent. The Index will further shape the city’s talent pipelines, linking international capital with technology resources, attracting leading deep-tech enterprises, and driving knowledge into real-world applications,” he said.

Professor Lee, in his vote of thanks, remarked, “CityUHK has yielded fruitful results through HK Tech 300 and the CityUHK Academy of Innovation (CAI). Together with the newly released FCI - an effective tool that utilises big data to assess a city's long-term development and capabilities - it reaffirms our commitment to nurturing more deep-tech talent and start-ups.”

The CityUHK FCI, compiled and published by the Global Talent Flow Data Hub at CAI, evaluates 100 cities worldwide, across 39 indicators. The report delivers data-driven insights into six strategic dimensions, including talent hub, knowledge production, technological innovation, future-positioning, global connectivity, and urban resilience.

This inaugural report reveals the world’s top ten “Leading Future Cities” are Beijing, Boston, Hong Kong, London, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Seoul, Shanghai and Singapore. Notably, only five cities – Beijing, Hong Kong, London, New York and Paris – rank within the top ten across all four categories of “Talent Hub”, “Connection Hub”, “Resilience”, and “Future-Positioning”, underscoring their pivotal position in global talent competitiveness.

Among the five cities, Hong Kong stands out in attracting, nurturing and retaining innovative talent, and records the highest score in international collaboration among major bay areas.

Hong Kong has demonstrated strong resilience and adaptability amid the global challenges posed by the pandemic. Over the past decade, the city has achieved significant growth in the number of top researchers, research outputs, R&D investment, and high-tech enterprises. In the past five years, talent inflow exceeded 25,000; furthermore, there has been a 3.7-fold increase over the last ten years in the number of top researchers in emerging areas (including AI, biotech, fintech, and semiconductors). This growth underscores Hong Kong’s role as an international talent hub, connecting global resources and capital, and serving as a vital link between the Chinese Mainland and the wider ecosystems.

Professor Vincent Wang Xiaohui, Director of the Global Talent Flow Data Hub at CAI, noted that local universities are dedicated to nurturing tech talent. Leveraging the Chinese Mainland’s extensive high-end talent pool together with Hong Kong’s strengths in global connectivity and adaptability, it will further advance the policy of “Bringing in and Going Global,” positioning Hong Kong as a strategic gateway for talent and enterprises to expand overseas.

The Index is presented by CityUHK, with support from Clarivate, and the International Organisation for Migration at UN Migration.

CityUHK today launched the inaugural "Future City Index 2025". Mr Chris Sun, Secretary for Labour and Welfare of the Government of the HKSAR (4th from left); Professor the Honourable Michael Ngai, CityUHK Council Chairman (4th from right); and Professor Lee Chun-sing, CityUHK Acting President (3rd from left); join Mr Peter Yan King-shun, DirectorGeneral of Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises (2nd from left); the Honourable Mr Dennis Leung Tsz-wing, Member of Legislative Council of the HKSAR (2nd from right); Professor Michael Yang Mengsu, CityUHK Senior Vice-President (Innovation and Enterprise) (3rd from right); Professor Michael Tse Chi-kong, Associate Vice-President (Innovation) and Director of CityUHK Academy of Innovation (1st from left); and Professor Vincent Wang Xiaohui, Director of the Global Talent Flow Data Hub at CityUHK Academy of Innovation (1st from right), officiated the launch of the index.

Mr Chris Sun, Secretary for Labour and Welfare of the Government of the HKSAR, delivers speech at the ceremony.

Professor the Honourable Michael Ngai, CityUHK Council Chairman, delivers welcome remarks.

Professor Lee Chun-sing, CityUHK Acting President, delivers a vote of thanks

Professor Vincent Wang Xiaohui, Director of the Global Talent Flow Data Hub at CityUHK Academy of Innovation, shares key findings of the “Future City Index 2025”.

Professor Vincent Wang Xiaohui, Director of the Global Talent Flow Data Hub at CAI, noted that local universities are dedicated to nurturing tech talent. Leveraging the Chinese Mainland’s extensive high‑end talent pool together with Hong Kong’s strengths in global connectivity and adaptability, it will further advance the policy of “Bringing in and Going Global,” positioning Hong Kong as a strategic gateway for talent and enterprises to expand overseas.

The Index is presented by CityUHK, with support from the Clarivate, and the International Organisation for Migration at UN Migration.

Brussels ETO presents Hong Kong's first film programme at KINO Rotterdam

The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Brussels (Brussels ETO) is presenting Hong Kong's first thematic film programme at KINO Rotterdam in the Netherlands from October 9, 2026, to January 8, 2027 (Rotterdam time), as a special highlight. The programme is supported by the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA) and the Film Development Fund under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government.

Entitled "Hong Kong Stories: Lives in Transition", the programme captures the multiple facets of Hong Kong's city life through the stories of people across different generations in the 15 classic films spanning from the 1980s to the late 2010s, namely "A Moment of Romance", "A Simple Life", "As Tears Go By", "Autumn Moon", "Chungking Express", "Dangerous Encounters of the First Kind", "Infernal Affairs", "July Rhapsody", "Mad World", "Made in Hong Kong", "My Heart Is That Eternal Rose", "Nomad", "Rouge", "Spacked Out" and "Still Human". The programme brings together a stellar line-up of internationally acclaimed Hong Kong film stars, including legendary figures such as Andy Lau, Anita Mui, Leslie Cheung, Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung, whose celebrated performances and enduring charm have won the hearts of audiences around the world for decades.

Addressing guests at the opening reception on October 9, Deputy Representative of the Brussels ETO Ms Venus Tsoi thanked KINO Rotterdam for the thoughtful selection of films and its efforts in promoting the programme, which has received enthusiastic feedback across different channels, including an overwhelming response on social media. The strong interest demonstrates the widespread appeal of Hong Kong cinema in Europe and Brussels ETO is committed to creating more platforms for European audiences to discover the creativity and beauty of Hong Kong cinema.

Citing the Hong Kong-Europe-Asian Film Collaboration Funding Scheme as an example, Ms Tsoi said, "The Hong Kong Government has been rolling out various initiatives to promote international collaboration in the film industry. CCIDA will set up the Support Unit for Non-local Film Productions to provide one-stop services for overseas film crews filming in Hong Kong. I encourage you to leverage these resources and Hong Kong's excellent support to realise your film projects in Hong Kong, and I look forward to seeing the beautiful cityscape of Hong Kong through your cameras and your creative eyes."

Quoting Hong Kong's close to 50 million visitor arrivals in 2025, Ms Tsoi also said that the Hong Kong Government is dedicated to enhancing visitors' travel experiences, and that "Film + Tourism" will be a key highlight in promoting Hong Kong' s rich film culture. She concluded by inviting European visitors to visit Hong Kong for more engaging and immersive experiences inspired by Hong Kong's rich cinematic heritage.

The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Brussels (Brussels ETO) is presenting Hong Kong's first thematic film programme, entitled "Hong Kong Stories: Lives in Transition", at KINO Rotterdam in the Netherlands from October 9, 2026, to January 8, 2027 (Rotterdam time), as a special highlight. Photo shows Deputy Representative of the Brussels ETO Ms Venus Tsoi addressing the audience before the film begins. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Brussels (Brussels ETO) is presenting Hong Kong's first thematic film programme, entitled "Hong Kong Stories: Lives in Transition", at KINO Rotterdam in the Netherlands from October 9, 2026, to January 8, 2027 (Rotterdam time), as a special highlight. Photo shows the networking reception organised by Brussels ETO, which was attended by about 200 local guests. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases