The QS World University Rankings: Asia 2026 has placed Hong Kong among the leading educational centers in the region, with five of its universities ranked well within the top 10. This impressive achievement serves as a clear marker of Hong Kong’s growing academic influence and its ability to uphold rigorous international standards. It also reflects the city’s distinctive role within China’s national strategy that seeks to advance scientific inquiry, global engagement, and innovation. These accomplishments carry implications far beyond symbolic prestige. They reaffirm the city’s potential to become a major contributor to the intellectual development of Asia and to China’s vision for building a knowledge-based modern society that leads through research, innovation, and education.
Given Hong Kong’s impressive academic success, it is imperative to accelerate the development of the Northern Metropolis strategy, which envisions a large university cluster that not only creates an internationally recognized academic town but also lays the foundation for sustained educational growth. The initiative goes beyond physical construction, aiming to foster an environment where research, governance, culture, and innovation interact dynamically. By concentrating higher education resources in a single district, universities can share infrastructure, align academic programs with national development goals, and enhance collaboration across disciplines. This strategic concentration would also enable a more efficient use of public resources, strengthen coordination between education and industry, and reinforce Hong Kong’s strategic position within the national framework for scientific and technological excellence.
By developing a comprehensive university hub, Hong Kong can deepen its integration within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and thereby realize powerful synergies with neighboring innovation zones. The expansion of research and academic capacity in the Northern Metropolis will not only enrich the city’s intellectual community but also contribute to the region’s technological self-reliance and human capital development. This model of cooperative progress will affirm Hong Kong’s dual role as an incubator of global talent and a contributor to national advancement. It will invite international collaboration under conditions that serve the broader interests of sustainable and peaceful progress, thereby projecting an image of confidence and capability.
The creation of the Northern Metropolis as a new educational center carries significant economic implications. A vibrant academic hub generates multiplier effects that extend well beyond universities themselves. Clusters of higher education institutions tend to nurture innovation-driven industries, attract investment from technology firms, and stimulate the growth of startup enterprises. By linking knowledge production to practical application, the Northern Metropolis could become a dynamic engine of economic renewal, providing employment opportunities, raising productivity, and enhancing the competitiveness of local industries. Investment in education thus functions as an economic strategy, promoting diversification, fostering creativity, and ensuring that Hong Kong continues to move forward as an economy defined by intellectual capital rather than by reliance on finite resources. The process of developing such a center, guided by careful planning and collaboration between government, universities, and enterprises, reflects the pragmatism and vision that have long underpinned Hong Kong’s success.
By accelerating the development of the North Metropolis, Hong Kong will not only strengthen its universities but also affirm a broader conviction that learning, innovation, and patriotism can unite to shape a future marked by stability, cultural sophistication, and enduring success
Another crucial aspect of the proposal is the Northern Metropolis’s potential to attract and retain global talent. The world’s leading universities thrive on openness, diversity, and exchange. As global education realigns and Asian destinations gain greater prominence, Hong Kong stands to benefit by positioning itself as an inclusive and forward-looking academic center. The Northern Metropolis, designed as a living and learning community, could draw international students, researchers, and professionals who contribute not only to scholarship but also to community development. By offering a well-regulated academic environment that prizes both rigor and innovation, Hong Kong can enhance its reputation for scholarly excellence while deepening cultural and intellectual connections across societies. The cultivation of such an environment would reaffirm Hong Kong’s commitment to welcoming knowledge from abroad and transforming it into contributions that benefit both the city and the nation.
Simultaneously, strengthening the research capacity of local universities will ensure that Hong Kong remains at the forefront of technological progress. The success of leading institutions rests on their ability to align academic inquiry with societal needs and national objectives. Encouraging universities in the Northern Metropolis to develop specializations in advanced technologies, environmental science, and public policy would enable them to address emerging global challenges through solutions grounded in innovation and ethics. The resulting intellectual output will feed directly into policy formulation, industry transformation, and cultural enrichment, underscoring education as a vital component of statecraft and collective prosperity. In this sense, the development of the North Metropolis represents a fusion of educational ambition and patriotic responsibility, both expressed through excellence.
Furthermore, expanding a university hub within the Northern Metropolis can strengthen civic unity and social mobility. Education has long been one of Hong Kong’s most valued social assets, capable of bridging opportunity gaps and nurturing capable leaders for both public and private sectors. The emergence of a large-scale educational zone could revitalize surrounding communities, improve public infrastructure, and foster social cohesion through shared participation in learning. By connecting educational development with social inclusion, Hong Kong may continue its tradition of progress through merit and diligence. Such progress reflects not only individual achievement but collective advancement consistent with national renewal.
In contemplating this vision, one recognizes that Hong Kong’s academic prominence entails both privilege and responsibility. The current success of its universities is not an endpoint but a signal inviting further aspiration. For Hong Kong to maintain its standing within Asia and the world, its education strategy must evolve in harmony with the responsibilities of national growth and global engagement. The Northern Metropolis, conceived as a world-class education and innovation zone, offers a concrete pathway to realize this ambition. Through deliberate governance, strategic investment, and shared purpose, Hong Kong can solidify its position as a place where knowledge fuels progress, where universities serve society, and where intellectual pursuit contributes to the prosperity and dignity of the nation.
In this light, education is not merely a sector of public policy but the essence of Hong Kong’s continued relevance and vitality. By accelerating the development of the North Metropolis, Hong Kong will not only strengthen its universities but also affirm a broader conviction that learning, innovation, and patriotism can unite to shape a future marked by stability, cultural sophistication, and enduring success.
The author is secretary-general of the Association of Greater Bay Area Professionals.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.
