CS: Celebrating Groundbreaking Ceremony for HKMU New Campus

Speech by CS at Groundbreaking Ceremony for HKMU New Campus - A Hub for Community Health and Wellness

Following is the speech by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, at the Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU) New Campus - A Hub for Community Health and Wellness today (June 9):

Dr Eddy Fong (the Pro-Chancellor of HKMU), Dr Conrad Wong (the Council Chairman of HKMU), Professor Paul Lam (the President of HKMU), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Good afternoon. I'm delighted to be here for the Groundbreaking Ceremony of the Hong Kong Metropolitan University's Hub for Community Health and Wellness.

I have had the privilege of witnessing the remarkable development of HKMU since its establishment in 1989. From a pioneer in distance learning for adults, it has become a dynamic, comprehensive, and internationally recognised university.

With more than 170 000 graduates and over 17 000 full-time students today, HKMU has become the largest self-financing university in Hong Kong.

And despite this impressive growth, HKMU remains steadfastly committed to its founding mission: "Education for All". Through quality and flexible education, HKMU continues to offer life-long learning opportunities to individuals from all walks of life, regardless of age, gender or personal circumstances.

Being Hong Kong's first university of applied sciences, or UAS in short, HKMU has found a clear and compelling niche - to provide vocational and professional education and training, a critical driver of manpower development and a promising pathway for our youth.

This approach also echoes the 15th Five-Year Plan, in promoting the integrated development of education, technology and talent. HKMU's practical, market-driven curriculum brings that vision to life.

The new Hub for Community Health and Wellness takes this further. It will support nursing and health sciences education and research across multiple disciplines. It will be home to at least six undergraduate programmes and two higher diploma programmes, all aligned with HKMU's strategic positioning as a UAS.

HKMU has long enjoyed strong ties to industry. The new campus will deepen those ties, nurturing a new generation of industry-ready professionals. The interdisciplinary research centre will focus on solving real-world problems and, in doing so, attract the high-calibre talent required for our long-term industrial growth.

I am confident that HKMU will play a leading role in raising the status of vocational and professional education and training at the degree level, enhancing its articulation pathways and working with other member institutions of the Alliance of UAS.

The Government, let me emphasise, is committed to the sustainable development of the self-financing, post-secondary education sector.

And we back our words with action. Through the Start-up Loan Scheme, we are supporting HKMU's new campus with a loan of some HK$1.3 billion. And it does much more than ease the university's shortage of campus space.

It will house a wide range of state-of-the-art facilities, including an integrated health centre and the interdisciplinary research centre, creating an outstanding environment to support teaching, research and the promotion of health and wellness in the community.

Most importantly, this campus will enable more students to access high-quality, applied education, giving them the skills and understanding they need to serve society with competence, creativity and compassion.

I'm also pleased to note that some of the facilities in the new complex will be open to the Hong Kong public, including the integrated health centre.

HKMU has long been committed to promoting public health through targeted educational programmes and wellness activities. This new campus will clearly expand that commitment, to the benefit of all Hong Kong.

Ladies and gentlemen, I wish HKMU and its new campus - a Hub for Community Health and Wellness - far-reaching success. May it become a shining example in vocational and professional education, empowering generations of outstanding graduates to contribute to the prosperity and well-being of Hong Kong and our nation.

Thank you.

The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, attended the Groundbreaking Ceremony for the HKMU (Hong Kong Metropolitan University) New Campus - A Hub for Community Health and Wellness today (June 9). Photo shows Mr Chan (fourth left) viewing a 3D campus model. Looking on are the Pro-Chancellor of the HKMU, Dr Eddy Fong (third right); the Council Chairman of the HKMU, Dr Conrad Wong (second left); and the President of the HKMU, Professor Paul Lam (fourth right). Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, attended the Groundbreaking Ceremony for the HKMU (Hong Kong Metropolitan University) New Campus - A Hub for Community Health and Wellness today (June 9). Photo shows Mr Chan (second right) viewing the construction site. Looking on is the President of the HKMU, Professor Paul Lam (first right). Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, attended the Groundbreaking Ceremony for the HKMU (Hong Kong Metropolitan University) New Campus - A Hub for Community Health and Wellness today (June 9). Photo shows Mr Chan (centre); the Pro-Chancellor of the HKMU, Dr Eddy Fong (third left); the Council Chairman of the HKMU, Dr Conrad Wong (third right); the President of the HKMU, Professor Paul Lam (first right), and other guests officiating at the ceremony. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, attended the Groundbreaking Ceremony for the HKMU (Hong Kong Metropolitan University) New Campus - A Hub for Community Health and Wellness today (June 9). Photo shows Mr Chan (front row, sixth left); the Pro-Chancellor of the HKMU, Dr Eddy Fong (front row, seventh left); the Council Chairman of the HKMU, Dr Conrad Wong (front row, fifth left); the President of the HKMU, Professor Paul Lam (front row, third left), and other guests at the event. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, speaks at the Groundbreaking Ceremony for the HKMU (Hong Kong Metropolitan University) New Campus - A Hub for Community Health and Wellness today (June 9). Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Construction output for first quarter of 2026

The total gross value of construction works (GVCW) performed by main contractors in the first quarter of 2026 increased by 2.9% in nominal terms over a year earlier to $72.7 billion, according to the provisional results of the Quarterly Survey of Construction Output released today (June 11) by the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD).

After discounting the effect of price changes, the provisional results showed that the total GVCW performed by main contractors increased by 1.0% in real terms over the same period. GVCW in real terms is derived by deflating the corresponding nominal value with an appropriate price index to the price level in the base period of 2000.

Analysed by type of construction works, the GVCW performed at private sector sites totalled $16.5 billion in the first quarter of 2026, down by 15.9% in nominal terms compared with a year earlier. In real terms, it decreased by 18.2%. The GVCW performed at public sector sites increased by 17.8% in nominal terms over a year earlier to $35.9 billion in the first quarter of 2026. In real terms, it increased by 14.1%.

The GVCW performed by main contractors at locations other than construction sites amounted to $20.4 billion in the first quarter of 2026, down by 1.3% in nominal terms compared with a year earlier. In real terms, however, it increased by 1.8%. Construction works at locations other than construction sites included minor new construction activities and decoration, repair and maintenance for buildings; and electrical equipment installation and maintenance works at locations other than construction sites.

Analysed by major end-use group, the GVCW performed at construction sites in respect of residential buildings projects amounted to $22.5 billion in the first quarter of 2026, up by 7.6% in nominal terms over a year earlier. Over the same period, the GVCW performed at construction sites in respect of transport projects down by 7.4% in nominal terms to $8.1 billion in the first quarter of 2026.

On a seasonally adjusted quarter-to-quarter basis, the GVCW performed by main contractors increased by 6.6% in nominal terms and 6.1% in real terms in the first quarter of 2026 compared with the fourth quarter of 2025.

Table 1 shows the provisional figures on the GVCW performed by main contractors in the first quarter of 2026. Tables 2 and 3 show the revised figures for the whole year of 2025 and the fourth quarter of 2025 respectively.

Owing to the widespread sub-contracting practices in the construction industry, a construction company can be a main contractor for one contract and a sub-contractor for another contract at the same time. The GVCW performed by main contractors covers only those projects in which the construction company takes the role of a main contractor, but not projects in which it takes only the role of a sub-contractor. However, sub-contractors' contribution to projects should have been included in the GVCW performed by main contractors for whom they worked.

The classification in the construction sector follows the Hong Kong Standard Industrial Classification Version 2.0, which is used in various economic surveys for classifying economic units into different industry classes.

More detailed statistics are given in the "Report on the Quarterly Survey of Construction Output". Users can browse and download this publication at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/EIndexbySubject.html?pcode=B1090002&scode=330).

For enquiries about the survey results, please contact the Construction and Miscellaneous Services Statistics Section of the C&SD (Tel: 3903 6965; email: building@censtatd.gov.hk).

The Census and Statistics Department, Photo source: reference image