The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is stepping up efforts to expand its global footprint with a plan to recruit more nonlocal students, in line with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s ambition to position itself as an international education hub.

Dennis Lo Yuk-ming, CUHK vice-chancellor and president, outlined the university’s development road map for the coming years during a media event on Monday.

Lo said that one of the top aims is to establish a global talent hub. With approximately 300,000 alumni, CUHK will continue to attract more top-tier students and researchers around the world, he said. In addition, CUHK plans to welcome more students from the Chinese mainland, he added.

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As of Sept 30, the university had more than 2,600 nonlocal undergraduate students, accounting for about 15 percent of the total, well below the 40 percent cap set for nonlocal students at Hong Kong’s government-funded postsecondary institutions.

Aligning with the special administrative region’s vision of becoming a global education and training hub and to building a “Study in Hong Kong” brand, CUHK is striving to expand its international presence by increasing participation in international university alliances and hosting global academic events.

Notably, Lo said, the university will host the Asia-Pacific Association for International Education Conference and Exhibition in Hong Kong in February, with over 2,500 participants expected, including educators, university leaders, and policymakers from around the world.

“Hong Kong is one of China’s most international cities. Universities in Hong Kong serve as bridges between our country and the rest of the world, and therefore, internationalization is critical for us,” the vice-chancellor said.

CUHK’s development strategy is also in line with the national goal of fully establishing a high-quality education system by 2035, according to university Provost Isabella Poon Wai-yin.

Poon said the university is continuously reviewing how it can respond to the evolving needs of the country’s development. “We are also developing new academic programs in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence (AI) and new energy, so as to contribute to the nation’s progress,” she said.

In addition to recruiting more nonlocal students, Poon said, the university has introduced initiatives to support their career development in Hong Kong. A key initiative is the Co-Operative Education Programme (Co-Op @CUHK).

The program offers students six-to-eight-month full-time job placements in companies. It equips students with essential soft skills, professional networks and workplace knowledge, helping them become competitive candidates for jobs in Hong Kong or other cities within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) after graduation.

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Since its debut in 2021, the program has been well-received by nonlocal students, with “over half of the program’s participants” being overseas students, Poon said.

The number of Co-op@CUHK corporate partners has so far grown to over 130, providing more than 700 placement opportunities for students.

“The program is helpful not only for students who plan to stay in Hong Kong, but also enterprises in the GBA looking to expand into overseas markets,” Poon added.

Contact the writer at gabylin@chinadailyhk.com