Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, met with a high-level delegation from Hong Kong led by Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan Kwok-ki in Beijing on Tuesday.

The delegation was on a four-day visit to the Chinese mainland to study development models and best practices for university towns, aiming to draw on these experiences for the planning and construction of the Northern Metropolis University Town in the special administrative region.

During the meeting, Chan expressed gratitude to Xia for his “care and guidance” regarding the project, which is being developed in the New Territories as a hub for local and overseas post-secondary institutions and to foster school-industry partnerships.

Chan said the delegation’s visits to major higher-education projects in East China’s Zhejiang province and the Xiong’an New Area in Hebei province provided valuable insights for the top-level design of the university town.

These experiences will help us integrate Hong Kong’s academic excellence with industrial development and promote innovation through education, he said.

He added that the project would align with the outline of the nation’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), helping Hong Kong contribute its strengths as the nation builds itself into a global leader in education.

Xu Qifang, executive deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the CPC Central Committee and the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, also attended the meeting.

The Hong Kong delegation included Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin, Northern Metropolis Coordination Office Director Linda So Wai-sze, and representatives from several Hong Kong universities.

Chan returned to Hong Kong on Thursday afternoon, while Choi remained in Beijing for follow-up meetings and is scheduled to return on Friday.