Mike Rowse

Opinion | Key to Hong Kong’s success is to stay as China’s international city

Many arriving mainlanders have the overseas exposure we need to maintain our cosmopolitan flavour and this is good – but not good enough

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Lunchtime in Central on June 18. When it comes to drawing talent, Hong Kong must now focus its promotion efforts on North America, Europe and Australasia. Photo: Jelly Tse

Mike Rowse

Published: 3:30pm, 28 Jul 2024Updated: 4:19pm, 28 Jul 2024

Three of Hong Kong’s highest-scoring students in the recent Diploma of Secondary Education examinations attended the RTHK studio last Monday to discuss their results and aspirations. The young men, all from Diocesan Boys’ School, impressed with their demeanour. They were articulate about their next steps for study and employment.

Two were going into medicine, would attend university in Hong Kong then practise here after graduation. They were keen to pay back to the community that had nurtured them. The third, who wants to study urban planning, was deciding between a local and UK university.

It was encouraging that all three saw their future in Hong Kong; we want our best and brightest to stay. At the same time, we want them to have the broader international perspective that can only come from a long-term stay overseas, whether for study or work early in their career.

But the more successful we are in persuading our young people to get that international exposure, the greater the risk that other economies will attract them away. We must walk a fine line.

Hong Kong has a plethora of programmes to attract talent and capital from anywhere in the world. The main ones are the Top Talent Pass Scheme, Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates, Quality Migrant Admission Scheme, and the Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals. There is also the new Capital Investment Entrant Scheme (CIES).

Only one of these explicitly targets mainlanders. But all the signs are that qualified mainlanders are also applying successfully under the other schemes, coming direct from the mainland or other economies. For the Top Talent Pass Scheme, they accounted for more than 90 per cent of the admissions.