Hong Kong鈥檚 brain drain is beginning to reverse, with the聽territory鈥檚 higher education sector poised to attract talent from around the world, the head of one of its leading institutions has claimed.

Rocky Tuan, vice-chancellor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), argued that the city was ripe for an influx of talent, with international student recruitment rebounding and some faculty beginning to return.

Significant numbers of people left Hong Kong over the last few years, with many citing its聽strict Covid-19 measures聽as well as the聽controversial National Security Law, which prompted widespread student protests, including at CUHK.

In 2022, Hong Kong鈥檚 population shrank by about 25,000, the聽largest drop over a 12-month聽period since records began in 1961, with emigration to countries including the UK a big contributor. Professor Tuan acknowledged that some people聽left聽because of the National Security Law, but he said he believed Hong Kong was moving past this.

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鈥淭hat was a little blip, but that blip is over,鈥� he said. 鈥淪ome folks who moved from Hong Kong, they鈥檙e coming back.鈥�

Professor Tuan noted that the ebb of the Covid-19-related lockdowns had also helped. He compared the pandemic to a 鈥渕assive tsunami鈥� that 鈥渃overed all things鈥�, making it not so simple to聽understand why people left Hong Kong. But he said he was upbeat about the prospects for a strong comeback 鈥� and for the university to surpass previous faculty recruitment figures and attract students from further afield.

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He said he was keen to promote other draws at CUHK, including its cooperative education programme 鈥� the first and only initiative of its type among Hong Kong universities 鈥� which places CUHK students into well-paid internships of up to eight months. Many of these turn into full-time jobs after graduation.

鈥淲e have 30 per cent of our cooperative students being international; I think this will germinate into a pretty attractive criterion for international students to come here,鈥� he said.

Already, CUHK鈥檚 2023-24 application numbers from non-local students 鈥� excluding the strong demand from Chinese students 鈥� had exceeded pre-Covid levels, noted Laurie Pearcey, its associate vice-president for external engagement and outreach.

鈥淲e鈥檙e back in business; we鈥檝e rebounded quite substantially,鈥� he said.

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Along with other universities, CUHK is working to further expand the sector鈥檚 reach to places where 鈥渕aybe we haven鈥檛 done as much reaching out before鈥�, according to Professor Tuan. These included the Arab states and central and south-east Asia, he said.

鈥淧ersonally, I鈥檓 also pushing for South America, Central America and perhaps India鈥lso Europe,鈥� Professor Tuan said.

But geopolitics聽was still undeniably a hurdle, he admitted. Notably, US foreign policy had had a negative and 鈥渄etectable鈥� impact on the number of US students coming to the island, he said.

鈥淚f you read the US State Department travel advisory, Hong Kong is orange,鈥� said Professor Tuan. 鈥淭hey say that if you come to Hong Kong, you get arrested and no one can protect you 鈥� which is totally overblown...completely crazy. I have seen no evidence of that.鈥�

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But despite ongoing tension with the US聽and other potential hurdles in the region, such as demographic decline and 鈥渕onkey wrenches鈥� thrown in by the pandemic, Professor Tuan鈥檚 message was clear.

鈥淎sia is rising,鈥� he said, and Hong Kong聽would undoubtedly be part of that.

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pola.lem@timeshighereducation.com