HKSAR Government Rolls Out Sites in Hung Shui Kiu University Town Campus Area for Application by Post-Secondary Institutions

Government rolls out sites in Hung Shui Kiu University Town campus area for application by post-secondary institutions

The Government announced today (September 17) that three sites in the Hung Shui Kiu (HSK) University Town campus area are being rolled out for application by eligible post-secondary institutions, and loan arrangements will be provided to support their campus construction. The plan is to drive the Northern Metropolis (NM) development with university towns, fostering the integrated development of education, technology and talent, further supporting post-secondary education to expand capacity and enhance quality. The initiative also helps consolidate Hong Kong's position as an international education hub.

Chief Executive, Mr. John Lee, Photo source: reference image

The Chief Executive announced in the First Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (2026-2030) and the Chief Executive's 2026 Policy Address that the Government will develop the San Tin (ST), HSK and Ta Kwu Ling (TKL) University Towns in the NM, based on the concept of town area. Each university town comprises a campus area, a technology area, an industry area and a living community area, and is planned around a "One Town, Five Elements" (education, technology, industry, talent and urban development) concept to drive the overall development of the Northern Metropolis University Town (NMUT).

The HSK University Town is located in the Hung Shui Kiu/Ha Tsuen New Development Area. Its campus area and adjoining technology and industry areas, including the Hung Shui Kiu Industry Park, the Lau Fau Shan Digital Technology Hub, the Yuen Long InnoPark and the Hong Kong Microelectronics Research and Development Institute, will be developed as a Centre for Applied Post-secondary Education in Smart Manufacturing and Global Talent Cultivation. The Government is rolling out three campus area sites with a total area of around 26 hectares: Area (1) of approximately 16.5 hectares, Area (2) of approximately 5.3 hectares and Area (3) of approximately 4.4 hectares. For the details of the three sites, vetting and loan arrangements, and required application materials, please refer to the Guidance Notes at www.edb.gov.hk/en/edu-system/postsecondary/policy-doc/nmuthsk/index.html. The application deadline is December 31, 2026.

Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr. Chan Kwok-ki, Photo by Bastille Post

To facilitate holistic consolidation and development planning of the university towns, a Designated Vetting Group led by the Chief Secretary for Administration, will be set up. The vetting group will be responsible for reviewing the proposals submitted by institutions, and approving and deciding on campus area sites and loan proposals (if applicable). Subsequently, the Government will grant the sites to successful institutions at a nominal land premium by way of private treaty grants, and the relevant loan proposals will be submitted to the Finance Committee of the Legislative Council for approval according to the established procedures.

The campus areas of the three university towns in ST, HSK and TKL amount to about 300 hectares. Together with the surrounding technology areas, industry areas and living community areas, the overall planned areas will exceed 1 000 hectares. The Government encourages interested institutions to plan their development in the NMUT more comprehensively according to the positioning and functions of different university towns to give full play to the vision of empowering the development of the NM through teaching and research.

The Government will continue to communicate closely with the post-secondary education sector, focusing on the deep integration of industry development with advantaged academic fields, and actively exploring strategies to attract top universities and research institutes from around the world to establish presence, leveraging the unique advantages of the "one country, two systems" principle, attracting high-end talent and creating high-quality university towns that are suitable for education, research, innovation and living, as well as proactively aligning with national development strategies and seizing the major opportunities brought about by the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-MacaoGreater Bay Area, thereby further promoting Hong Kong's integration into and service of the overall national development.

Photo by Bastille Post

Four incoming air passengers convicted and jailed for importing duty-not-paid cigarettes

Four incoming air passengers were sentenced to eight to nine months' imprisonment, each with a fine of $2,000, by the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts yesterday (September 16) and today (September 17) for importing duty-not-paid cigarettes and failing to declare them to Customs, in contravention of the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance (DCO) (Cap. 109).

Hong Kong Customs has been mounting a special enforcement operation to combat illicit cigarette smuggling activities involving air passengers in recent days. Three Mainland male passengers aged 40, 22 and 36, arriving in Hong Kong from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and a Mainland male passenger aged 51, arriving in Hong Kong from Haikou, were arrested at Hong Kong International Airport. A total of about 260 000 duty-not-paid cigarettes, with an estimated market value of about $1.17 million and a duty potential of about $860,000, were seized from their personal baggage.

Customs welcomes the sentences. The custodial sentences have imposed a considerable deterrent effect and reflect the seriousness of the offences.

Customs reminds members of the public and travellers that under the DCO, anyone involved in importing, dealing with, possession of, selling or buying illicit cigarettes commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.

Members of the public may report any suspected illicit cigarette activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 182 8080, its dedicated crime-reporting email account(crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

Four incoming air passengers convicted and jailed for importing duty-not-paid cigarettes Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases