For itself and China, Hong Kong’s only recipe for success is to be a truly international city
- Hong Kong must strengthen its global links, lead the Greater Bay Area integration and educate our young into tomorrow’s pioneers of innovation
- It’s high time Hong Kong thought more progressively and comprehensively about China’s needs, and what we can bring to the table
Yet the world we live in today is experiencing an unprecedented intersection of challenges. Geopolitical conflicts and tensions, socioeconomic inequalities, and existential risks such as climate change and pandemics, have contributed to growing discontent across the world.
Hong Kong, too, stands at a crossroads. Staying the course is no longer sufficient. Hong Kong must proactively deepen and broaden its engagement with the world. We should not serve merely as a bridge connecting two circles – China, and the rest of the world. Instead, we must strive towards becoming a beacon of transformation that sublimates and elevates both circles.
First, we must rethink what “international” means. I spent most of my career straddling both sides of the Pacific. I count myself among the foremost beneficiaries of the golden era of globalisation.
The European Union, a community built around a firm commitment to shared values and transnational solidarity, has long been among our city’s firmest friends. With the EU, we must deepen our cultural synergy and exchanges, as well as broaden the depths of academic collaboration in fields from artificial intelligence to transparent governance.
We must maintain our globally respected and competitive human capital, attractively low tax rates and distinctive capitalist system, high levels of academic openness and robust discussions, while abiding by the laws and baselines of our country, to contribute meaningfully towards the prosperity and flourishing of the Greater Bay Area.
It must also maintain an unwavering commitment to accountability and professionalism as it draws upon international capital in propelling capital-intensive research and development in the region – across fields from biomedical science and energy technology to the metaverse.
Third, in embracing this era of great flux, our education system must empower our students to be the pioneers of today, and the leaders of tomorrow. Globalisation is by no means just about trade and finance, important as they are. We must lead the era in tackling global challenges that the human race faces.
This is why the University of Hong Kong is establishing 10 new institutes pursuing strategic and multidisciplinary research in areas from global poverty mitigation and energy science to biomedical engineering. In so doing, we strive to equip our students with soft skills – from debating and public speaking, to the ability to think laterally and flexibly under constraint.
As an educator and academic leader, it falls upon me and my many stellar colleagues at the HKU to nurture the many generations of talents that shall steer Hong Kong and the rest of China forward.
Education is an inherently dialogical process. Teachers learn from students as much as the other way round. Newcomers learn from old hands, and the converse also holds true. HKU must remain a place where any and all rational and respectful dialogue can be held, on topics of the utmost importance to us all.
The world is changing at an unprecedented pace. We, too, must have the courage to change, without forgetting that Hong Kong’s recipe for success is its inherent internationalism.
Professor Xiang Zhang is president and vice-chancellor of the University of Hong Kong