Exclusive | Hong Kong will reel in talent due to geopolitics but won’t exploit tensions: university chief

The University of Hong Kong (HKU) is not about to “take advantage” of international students and scholars facing difficulties in the United States but it will just focus on welcoming and nurturing talent, its head has said, revealing it is handling over 100 transfer applications.

Vice-chancellor Xiang Zhang, a renowned scientist, told the Post that HKU should “rise above the storm” to promote international collaboration via technology and tackle global challenges and not be deterred by geopolitical tensions.

Zhang also expressed confidence in the future of Hong Kong, which he said should leverage its advantages under the governing principle of “one country, two systems” to contribute to developing China into a strong nation.

The 61-year-old school president, who spent almost three decades in US academia before taking on his current role at Hong Kong’s oldest university in 2018, hoped HKU would go “from strength to strength”, but stressed that it should always “take the high road” to success, not profit from the ills of others.

“Any top university wants to be better. They will focus on talent building, not because of geopolitics,” he said in an exclusive interview.

“Maybe some people take that as a convenient advantage, but HKU would rather take that as, I would say, we welcome the talent.”