Hong Kong tertiary institutions should ramp up efforts to advance technology and nurture talent to further contribute to China’s modernisation, Beijing’s point man on the city’s affairs has said as he meets leaders of a public university.
Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, met Council Chairman Harry Shum Heung-yeung and President Nancy Ip Yuk-yu of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) on Wednesday, a day after China concluded its annual political key meetings, the “two sessions”.
The meeting took place in Beijing as the HKUST finalised a proposal to establish the city’s third medical school before the submission deadline next Monday, as part of its efforts to strengthen the transformation of biomedical research into clinical applications and medical talent cultivation.
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According to the university, Xia underscored the importance of higher education as a “golden signboard” for Hong Kong and said tertiary institutions should bear the mission of serving national development and rejuvenation.
“[Xia] called for leveraging the advantages of the ‘one country, two systems’ framework to actively align with national development strategies, integrate into the Greater Bay Area, and strengthen the role of education in advancing technology and grooming talent,” Xia was cited as saying.
“They should strive to make [Hong Kong] a hub for high-calibre talent and further contribute to the city’s governance and China’s modernisation.”
Xia praised the university’s achievements in cultivating talent, promoting innovation and enhancing exchanges between Hong Kong and mainland China.
He urged the university to actively participate in the Northern Metropolis development and contribute to the higher education advancement in Hong Kong.
Ip, also a Hong Kong deputy to the National People’s Congress (NPC), highlighted the university’s intention to establish a medical story and pledged support for the development of the metropolis and the Greater Bay Area.
On Tuesday, Vice Minister of Education Wang Jiayi met Council Chairman David Wong Yau-kar and President John Lee Chi-Kin of the Education University of Hong Kong, expressing hope that the institution could cultivate patriotic teachers and spearhead efforts to formulate high-quality teaching materials with local characteristics.
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