CS vows to speed up NM university town development

Chief Secretary Eric Chan said authorities will fast-track the Northern Metropolis University Town (NMUT) project, while briefing Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, in Beijing on Thursday. Chan, who is leading the "Working Group on Planning and Construction of the University Town" on a trip to the capital, told Xia that the delegation is grateful for his care and guidance on the project. The chief secretary also reported that over the past three days, the delegation had visited the Ningbo Higher Education Park, the Xiasha Higher Education Park in Hangzhou, the Zhejiang University International Campus (Haining), the Beijing Municipal Administrative Center and the Xiong’an New Area in Hebei. Through on-site inspections and exchanges with experts, he said the group gained practical insights for the NMUT’s top-level design, which would help integrate Hong Kong’s academic strengths with industry, and drive industrial development through education. Chan emphasised the working group’s commitment to developing NMUT with enhanced quality, speed and efficiency, while aligning closely with the national goal of building China into a leading education power, and helping Hong Kong better integrate into and serve the overall national development. The meeting was also attended by Xu Qifang, executive deputy 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. Edited by Priscilla Ng