University town to be fast-tracked, Eric Chan says after mainland China visit

Hong Kong’s No 2 official has pledged to fast-track a new university town’s development following a visit to similar projects in mainland China and said authorities will devise a strategy to attract top institutions from across the border and overseas to take part.Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki and his working group on the university town’s planning and construction, which falls under the Committee on Development of the Northern Metropolis, concluded their three-day visit to the mainland after a meeting with Xia Baolong, the director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, on Thursday.Later that day, a city government spokesman said Xia had offered guidance on the project’s construction.Chan, meanwhile, said the working group would push ahead with “enhanced quality, speed, and efficiency” to align with the national 15th five-year plan and help Hong Kong better integrate into and serve the nation’s overall development.“Through on-site visits to higher education developments in different places, and exchanges with experts and scholars on their successful experiences and development strategies, the delegation gained practical inspiration for the top-level design of the Northern Metropolis university town,” he said.“This will help advance the deep integration of Hong Kong’s academic excellence with industry, promoting industrial development through education.”