Beijing’s top man on Hong Kong affairs has called on the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) to “actively participate” in an infrastructure megaproject in the city’s rural north during a meeting with the school’s top management.
Xiao Baolong (centre), director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, meets with representatives from HKUST, on March 12, 2025. Photo: HKMAO.
During a meeting with HKUST’s board chairperson Harry Shum and university president Nancy Ip in Beijing on Wednesday, Xia Baolong, the director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office (HKMAO), said he hoped that the university would participate in the Northern Metropolis development project and take the initiative to align with the national development strategies.
According to a statement issued by the office, Xia urged the university to carry out its “glorious tradition of patriotism and love for Hong Kong,” support the Hong Kong government and the chief executive, and “actively participate in the development of the Northern Metropolis.”
HKUST announced in 2023 that it planned to establish a medical school in Hong Kong. The following year, Chief Executive John Lee announced that a site in Ngau Tam Mei slated for development under the Northern Metropolis plan would be reserved for the city’s new medical school campus and an integrated hospital.
The meeting took place days ahead of the medical school submission deadline next Monday.
If approved, HKUST’s medical school will be the city’s third, after the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
The proposed layout for the Ngau Tam Mei development, the site of Hong Kong’s third medical school. Photo: Development Bureau.
HKUST has also aligned itself with China’s artificial intelligence interests by developing a generative AI tool powered by China’s DeepSeek bot, which has been adopted by more than 70 Hong Kong government departments.
Xia also said on Wednesday that higher education should support the city’s tech aspirations and build the city into a hub for “high-calibre talent” to drive the development of the local economy.
HKMAO Director Xia Baolong meets with representatives from HKUST, on March 12, 2025. Photo: HKMAO.
In a statement issued by the university on Wednesday, Shum thanked Xia for his “concern and guidance” for HKUST, adding that they would “do the utmost to fulfil Director Xia’s expectations and requests.”
Ip said in the same statement that HKUST would support the national development strategies, push its medical school plan, and support the Northern Metropolis development and the Greater Bay Area.
In a closed-door meeting last November, Xia urged the city’s real estate tycoons and business magnates to actively take part in the government’s large-scale infrastructure projects.
Chief Executive Lee said at the time that developers were free to make their own decision as he responded to a question about whether Xia’s comments signalled a shift away from the free market principles underpinning Hong Kong’s business environment.
