As Hong Kong marks the 29th anniversary of its return to Chinese rule on July 1, the South China Morning Post talks to the city’s senior officials about the administration’s achievements so far and what may lie ahead.
The first tender for the university town in Hong Kong’s Northern Metropolis will be launched in two months, with successful bidders to be announced after the site formation of the plot is completed by the end of this year, the education minister has revealed.
Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin said that a 22-hectare (54-acre) site in Hung Shui Kiu would comprise three university campus sites, with a 12.7-hectare plot to be developed first, and the remaining two measuring 5.3 hectares and 4.4 hectares at a later stage.
She said universities should indicate which sites they were interested in and the land allocation would be based on the proposals they submitted.
The university town originally covered 80 hectares when it was first raised in 2023, and was later enlarged to 90, then to 100, before growing to 1,000 hectares.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu announced the latest expansion after Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, visited the city in May. He said Xia had endorsed his concept of turning the university town into a district incorporating elements of education, innovation and technology (I&T), talent, industry and urban development.