Hong Kong has enjoyed a more stable academic environment and has seen increased international collaboration and talent attraction since the implementation of the National Security Law, says Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin.
Choi said that during her travels abroad, she frequently encountered international concerns regarding the state of academic freedom in Hong Kong. She emphasized that such concerns are often based on media portrayals that are “fundamentally misleading.”
“Friends from around the world seem very concerned about Hong Kong’s academic freedom after the implementation of the National Security Law, especially when they don’t have direct contact with Hong Kong,” Choi said.
“They just read the media reports. So I think I will firstly tell them that it’s fundamentally misleading.”
To counter these narratives, Choi said she would share evidence with foreign counterparts about Hong Kong academic vitality. “Five of our universities rank in the top 100 in the world,” she said.
“The performance of Hong Kong’s universities speaks for themselves.”
The secretary also emphasized that “academic freedom and institutional autonomy are the cornerstones of Hong Kong’s higher education center,” adding that these values are constitutionally protected under the Basic Law.
She argued that after the implementation of the National Security Law, Hong Kong has a more stable academic environment.
“[We have] more and more international collaboration, and we attract more talent, more researchers coming to Hong Kong.”
(Jamie Liu)
