University Presidents and leaders gathered at the Global University Presidents & Leaders Summit 2024
(Eurochinesedaily Hong Kong, December 2, 2024) – The “Global University Presidents & Leaders Summit 2024” (the Summit), organized by the Hong Kong Association for External Friendship and fully supported by the University Grants Committee (UGC), commenced today at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). The two-day Summit (December 2-3), themed “Globalization of Knowledge,” aims to encourage the flow and sharing of knowledge. It is Asia’s largest world-class education conference this year and Hong Kong’s first major higher education conference in response to the promotion of the “Study in Hong Kong” brand proposed in this year’s Policy Address. The Summit was inaugurated this morning, with a grand opening ceremony officiated by distinguished guests, including Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region John Lee Ka-chiu, Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR Zheng Yanxiong, and Fang Jianming,Deputy Commissioner of Ministry of Foreign Affairs in HKSAR, the President of the Legislative Council of the HKSAR Leung Kwan-yin, and Chairman of the UGC Tim Lui.

Recognized as a mega event in Hong Kong by the HKSAR Government, the Summit has brought together over 50 university presidents and education leaders from around the globe to engage in discussions with Hong Kong’s higher education sector on various significant issues and subject matters. Scholars hail from higher education institutions in the Chinese mainland, the United Kingdom, the United States, South Africa, countries in the Middle East, and other countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative. Some have even brought their top students, whose first-hand experiences and people-to-people exchanges in Hong Kong will contribute to their understanding of Hong Kong’s high-quality education ecosystem. Meanwhile, their academic exchanges with local university presidents in Hong Kong will establish a foundation for collaboration.

Professor Priscilla Leung Mei-fun, the founding president of the Hong Kong Association for External Friendship, a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, and also the chairman of the Summit’s Organizing Committee, noted that with the staunch support of the UGC, eight UGC-funded universities, and one publicly funded University of Applied Sciences in Hong Kong, the Summit was successfully launched within just seven months of preparation. The Summit is grand in scale, and the topics discussed are forward-looking and timely. The gathering, with Hong Kong’s local university presidents and global scholars getting under one roof, not only helps to showcase the “Study in Hong Kong” brand but also promotes Hong Kong as an “international hub for high-caliber talents.”

The Summit will explore nine growing research trends, including the globalization of knowledge in the age of artificial intelligence (AI), ethics and value building of AI technology in society, AI development and its law and order, demographic changes and future education, university governance and innovation, data science, AI in meeting biomedical challenges, AI technology and the green economy, and how to create value for the younger generation in a rapidly changing world order. Presidents from Hong Kong’s nine universities will each host a panel discussion. Apart from some 1,000 participants joining the discussions in person, more can attend virtually by watching live streaming online. The Summit will potentially reach thousands of audiences.

The Summit has garnered support not only from the Central Government but also from various bureaus and departments of the Government of the HKSAR, such as the Education Bureau, the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau, the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, and the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau (CSTB). The CSTB, for instance, has arranged for international scholars to visit the Hong Kong Palace Museum in the West Kowloon Cultural District, demonstrating the high level of importance attached to this Summit by both the Government of the HKSAR and the Central Government.