Policy Address

Strengthening People-to-people Bond

60.          Among the “five areas of connectivity”, the HKSAR Government will first of all initiate work to foster “people-to-people bond” with the Belt and Road countries.  We will join quasi-governmental organisations and various community bodies in Hong Kong to connect with the people of these places.  As a highly international city with the widespread use of English, Hong Kong can provide a platform for educational, cultural and youth exchanges. 

61.         Hong Kong is home to world-class universities which use English as the medium of instruction.  This has attracted students from all around the world.  Currently, many students from the Belt and Road countries study in Hong Kong.  Since the 2012/13 academic year, the Government has offered dedicated scholarships in the nine government-funded institutions.  The scope of scholarships will be expanded to cover the whole Belt and Road region.  The Government will promote Hong Kong’s tertiary education in the Belt and Road countries to recruit students for undergraduate courses in Hong Kong.  This will encourage the interaction of Hong Kong people with those of the Belt and Road countries.

62.         To attract more students from the Belt and Road countries to study in Hong Kong, the Government will increase the number of offers under the Targeted Scholarship Scheme, currently 10 per year, by about 100 in phases, and inject $1 billion into the scholarship fund for this purpose.  The Government will also encourage schools to include content about the Belt and Road countries in relevant subjects and student activities.  At the same time, a priority theme will be introduced under the Quality Education Fund to encourage students to learn more about the Belt and Road Initiative and have more exchanges with the relevant regions, during which they may introduce the contributions that Hong Kong can make.

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