The U.S. State Department and Department of Homeland Security claimed that they will revoke visas for Chinese students and revise visa standards to strengthen scrutiny of all future visa applications from mainland China and Hong Kong, China.
In response, Chief Executive John Lee emphasized during yesterday's interactive Q&A session at the Legislative Council that Hong Kong fully welcomes students who have been unfairly affected by U.S. policies to come study in Hong Kong. The SAR government will make every effort to work with Hong Kong's universities to provide the best support and assistance, including accelerating the development of the Northern Metropolis University Town.
To promote Hong Kong as an international higher education hub and establish the "Study in Hong Kong" brand, last year's Policy Address mentioned that the government has reserved at least 80 hectares of land in the Northern Metropolis for the development of a brand new "Northern Metropolis University Town."
Recent unreasonable actions by U.S. authorities obstructing students from mainland China and Hong Kong from studying in the U.S. have damaged confidence in studying there, but for Hong Kong, this presents an opportunity to attract talent and further accelerate the development of the education sector.
More funding, please!
At the Q&A session, Legislative Council member Lau Chi-pang asked whether the SAR government would expand the scale of the Northern Metropolis University Town and increase research funding to attract students and professors from other countries and regions to develop in Hong Kong.
In response, CE Lee said that students from different parts of the world will not only consider whether studying in the U.S. is currently welcoming, but also whether their long-term studies will be affected. Many disciplines at Hong Kong's universities are highly ranked, offering clear advantages.
"Students who have been unfairly treated can come from different countries beyond the U.S., and I believe this is an opportunity for Hong Kong. I have already doubled the quota for overseas undergraduate students that (subsidized) universities can admit, increasing it from 20% to 40%... I see that the current admission capacity can still accommodate many students who have been unfairly treated. If necessary, I am willing to review this admission quota again."
Academic conferences needed
LegCo Member William Wong Kam-fai noted that in recent years, most international conferences held in Hong Kong have been commercial, with relatively few large-scale international academic and research-related conferences. He suggested that the government could promote large academic conferences to facilitate global scholar and talent exchanges, helping Hong Kong compete for talent.
On this issue, Lee mentioned that the government encourages universities and educational institutions to take the initiative in organizing international academic activities. Through the promotion of the "Study in Hong Kong" brand, more international students and scholars will be attracted, while funding and policy support will be provided to ensure the successful hosting of conferences and exhibitions. He emphasized that Hong Kong is a diverse society. "With such an excellent education system and such high-quality education, Hong Kong—a city of just 1,100 square kilometers—has five universities ranked among the top 100 globally. This level of attractiveness and success depends on the industry showcasing it."
Lawmaker advocates aligning talent attraction with industrial development needs
In an interview with Wen Wei Po yesterday (May 29), Wong said that the U.S.'s recent actions may affect international students' confidence in studying in the U.S. Hong Kong should enhance efforts to make students worldwide aware of the information and advantages of studying in Hong Kong to attract them, while also aligning with Hong Kong's industrial development needs for talent.
He suggested that the government provide more resources to universities, including offering more scholarships and other incentives in fields such as artificial intelligence and biotechnology that align with Hong Kong's future mainstream development directions, to attract international students in these areas. He believes that for affected students, universities in Hong Kong and Singapore will be the main targets for consideration, and Hong Kong's advantage of being "backed by the motherland" will make it more attractive.
(Source: Wen Wei Po; Journalists: Ng, Zero Wong; English Editor: Darius)
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