Northern Metropolis’ science and education focus key to Hong Kong’s future

Francis Neoton Cheung is the chairman of Doctoral Exchange, a public policy research collective, and a former member of the Land and Building Advisory Committee.China’s new development narrative places science and education at the centre of long-term competitiveness. This is a systemic project powered by technology, grounded in education and driven by talent as the country’s foremost resource.Hong Kong’s traditional identity as an international financial centre is no longer sufficient to sustain the city’s competitiveness. To remain relevant, Hong Kong must articulate a platform that structurally aligns with China’s national strategy while retaining its own institutional distinctiveness.The Northern Metropolis is essentially a “science and education city” – a fusion of a technology park and a university town. It integrates the San Tin Technopole, the university town and the technology-innovation-cooperation-zone" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="74847" data-entity-type="location">Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and technology Innovation Cooperation Zone. For the first time, Hong Kong possesses a platform that can be clearly positioned within China’s science and education strategy.