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Mike Rowse

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has invited international students worried about finishing their courses at Harvard University in the US to continue their studies at one of Hong Kong’s universities. Other universities in Malaysia and Japan have put forward similar suggestions.
This comes as Hong Kong is considering how to make best use of the part of the Northern Metropolis reserved for universities to bolster its role as an education hub. That site is at the heart of our future technology research and development area, and within shouting distance of Shenzhen, China’s engineering and manufacturing powerhouse.
Lee’s invitation is a bold step in the right direction, but I suggest we take the opportunity to go even further and advance the city’s higher education profile.
Hong Kong should reach out to Harvard and offer to make a site available for an additional campus in the city. The new facility could be called Harvard International and admit all the university’s international students and a significant number of American students at any one time, perhaps on a revolving basis.
The trigger for these suggestions is the Trump administration’s extraordinary attack on the American institution, widely regarded as one of the best in the world. The university has had its research grants cancelled and was told its tax status would be reconsidered while its ability to admit international students remains uncertain.
We don’t need to consider the merits of these assaults, and we should note that many are still subject to legal challenges in the US. But the uncertainty they have created gives Hong Kong an opening.


To show that our offer is serious and not a passing whim, we should be prepared to offer Harvard a long lease of the land at a nominal premium, say 50 years with an automatic right of renewal for a further 50 years without payment of an additional premium – the same model adopted for Hong Kong Disneyland. This would send a clear message that we want them here permanently.
We could also give assurances on the issue of student visas. There would be no reason for our immigration authorities to turn away a bona fide Harvard student from any country. Post-graduation employment opportunities could also be discussed. In return, Harvard would have to give comprehensive and binding undertakings on issues such as the deployment of faculty and sharing research findings.
The exact kind of institutional body tasked with operating Harvard International could be left to our experienced legal and corporate service providers to ensure its tax position is secured. Hong Kong is well regarded for its low, simple and predictable tax regime which, given recent events on the other side of the Pacific, should be attractive and reassuring.
The issue of financing the land formation for the campus and building the facilities could be negotiated between the parties. Harvard is a wealthy institution and Hong Kong is a relatively wealthy city, committed to developing the Northern Metropolis. Given the prestige of the Harvard name, there should be a ready supply of corporate donors both from within Hong Kong and throughout the rest of China.

What would be the justification for such a move? Luring one of the world’s top universities to Hong Kong is fully in line with the city’s designated role as the interface between the mainland and the rest of the world, and with our aspiration to be one of the world’s great education hubs.
The steady stream of the world’s best students passing through the city would lock us into international consciousness forever. Students from the Hong Kong Harvard campus would steadily become part of the elite in every country in the world, in business, academia and public life.
Some might ask why give priority to Harvard when there are many other fine international universities we could host, such as Oxford, Cambridge, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology or Yale. First, Trump’s actions have made Harvard an obvious candidate, and second, we should be prepared in principle to consider approaches from any of the world’s top 10 universities on a similar basis.
Another concern would be the likely effect on Hong Kong’s eight existing publicly funded universities, some of which already have global recognition. Far from weakening our existing institutions, the presence of Harvard would act as a magnet for the best faculty from around the globe. The competition would push everybody to up their game. From the perspective of staff and faculty, everyone would want to have Hong Kong on their CV. We would be reinforcing our image as the home of free and open competition.

The next step would be identifying a suitable intermediary to gauge if the idea could be seriously considered. Such a person would need to have stature in the world of academia and also be well connected to the Harvard hierarchy. There are probably a number of people in Hong Kong suitable for that role.
Initially, there should be an informal approach to see whether there is scope for a conversation at the conceptual level. If there is, then the Hong Kong government would have to put together an exploratory team, without any commitments, to examine what such a scheme might look like.
The challenge now is to find someone in the administration with the vision to encourage such an informal approach.


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How a ‘Harvard International’ could boost Hong Kong as an education hub

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John Lee’s invitation to Harvard’s students is a great start but let’s also open our doors to the university itself


John Lee’s invitation to Harvard’s students is a great start but let’s also open our doors to the university itself.


Education in Hong Kong

John Lee

Northern Metropolis

Malaysia

United States

Japan

Donald Trump

Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


How a ‘Harvard International’ could boost Hong Kong as an education hub

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}John Lee’s invitation to Harvard’s students is a great start but let’s also open our doors to the university itself

John Lee’s invitation to Harvard’s students is a great start but let’s also open our doors to the university itself