University town to be fast-tracked, Eric Chan says after mainland China visit

Chief Secretary Eric Chan (second from left) and his working group visit a university campus in mainland China in 2024.

Photo: Handout Hong Kong’s No 2 official has pledged to fast-track a new university town’s development following a visit to similar projects in mainland China and said authorities will devise a strategy to attract top institutions from across the border and overseas to take part.

Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki and his working group on the university town’s planning and construction, which falls under the Committee on Development of the Northern Metropolis, concluded their three-day visit to the mainland after a meeting with Xia Baolong, the director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, on Thursday.

Later that day, a city government spokesman said Xia had offered guidance on the project’s construction.

Chan, meanwhile, said the working group would push ahead with “enhanced quality, speed, and efficiency” to align with the national 15th five-year plan and help Hong Kong better integrate into and serve the nation’s overall development. “Through on-site visits to higher education developments in different places, and exchanges with experts and scholars on their successful experiences and development strategies, the delegation gained practical inspiration for the top-level design of the Northern Metropolis university town,” he said. “This will help advance the deep integration of Hong Kong’s academic excellence with industry, promoting industrial development through education.” The university town will span 100 hectares (247 acres) and is considered a core initiative under the Northern Metropolis megaproject, which aims to turn 30,000 hectares of land near the border into an engine for economic growth and a housing hub.

Chief Secretary Chan and the working group also met Xia Baolong (front row, centre) during the trip.

Photo: Handout The delegation, led by Chan and education minister Christine Choi Yuk-lin, alongside representatives from Hong Kong’s eight publicly funded universities, visited three major university towns in Zhejiang province to gather insights.

The three locations are the Ningbo Higher Education Park, the Xiasha Higher Education Park in Hangzhou and the Zhejiang University International Campus in Haining.

Each has established close collaborations with leading foreign institutions and places a strong emphasis on innovation and technology.

Zhejiang University’s international campus, established in 2016, has par

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