From 2 to 4 November, Minister of Education Huai Jinpeng led a delegation to Hong Kong. During the visit, Mr Huai met Chief Executive John Lee; held a working meeting with Zhou Ji, Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR); and held discussions with the Education Bureau of the HKSAR Government and representatives of some Hong Kong universities. He also met with leaders of Trinity College Dublin and the University of Manchester, attended the World Class University Presidents Forum 2026 and delivered a keynote speech, and visited the Hetao Hong Kong Park.
Meeting with the Chief Executive
On 2 November, Mr Lee met Mr Huai to exchange views on implementing Hong Kong's First Five-Year Plan, supporting Hong Kong in leveraging its unique advantages to serve the country's goal of building an education powerhouse, and promoting patriotic education for young people in Hong Kong. Secretary for Education Choi Yuk-lin and Director of the Chief Executive's Office Carol Yip also attended.
Mr Lee said Hong Kong is home to five of the world's top 100 universities and its education sector is among the most competitive in the world. The HKSAR Government is fully implementing Hong Kong's First Five-Year Plan to build an international hub for high-calibre talent and attract outstanding students from around the world through the Task Force on Study in Hong Kong. He noted that Hong Kong is advancing the University Town in the Northern Metropolis, encouraging more top mainland universities and research institutions to establish a presence there, and deepening collaboration with the mainland in teacher training, digital education and patriotic education.
World Class University Presidents Forum
On 4 November, the World Class University Presidents Forum 2026 was held at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). The forum was hosted by HKUST with the full support of the HKSAR Government. Under the theme "Higher Education Reimagined: Innovating for the Future", it brought together more than 130 presidents, senior leaders, scholars and delegates from around 50 leading universities worldwide.
Mr Huai delivered a keynote speech titled "The Transformation of Universities in a Changing Era and Their Future Mission". He put forward three proposals: jointly building an institutionalised high-level dialogue platform to lead the development of global higher education; jointly promoting openness and mutual trust among universities worldwide and enhancing exchanges and cooperation; and jointly developing cooperation projects that address global challenges.
Acting Chief Executive Chan Kwok-ki, Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR Sun Shangwu, and Secretary for Education Choi Yuk-lin attended the forum. Several inter-university cooperation agreements were signed during the forum.
Visit to Hetao Hong Kong Park
Mr Huai also visited the Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone to learn about the park's integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent, as well as its Shenzhen-Hong Kong collaboration on science and technology innovation.
The visit covered education cooperation, exchanges between leading universities and Shenzhen-Hong Kong science and technology collaboration, providing an opportunity for closer ties between the education sectors of Hong Kong and the mainland.
This article is compiled from reports by China Education Daily, Weiyan Education, HKSAR Government press releases, Xinhua News Agency and People's Daily. Photos: Information Services Department, HKSAR Government.