The labour minister said on Saturday that the focus remains on the abilities as well as the perspectives of imported talents, instead of their nationalities.

Around 95 percent of those coming to Hong Kong through the Top Talent Pass Scheme are from the mainland, but Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun emphasised that it does not make the scheme any less international.

Speaking to reporters after an RTHK programme, the minister pointed out that most of the talent coming from Category C of the scheme - full-time bachelor's degree graduates in the past five years with less than three years of work experience - attained their degrees from universities in the United States.

"While they may be mainlanders, they received their higher education in America. Obviously, they have a more international perspective. With these people in Hong Kong, I am sure they are going to bring benefits and will add value to our economy," Sun said.

The first batch of talent is expected to apply for a visa renewal as soon as early next year.

Sun said the bureau is still conducting a review of the scheme, which was rolled out in 2022, and plans to diversify its pool of overseas talent.

The minister added that Malaysia will be the authorities' first destination in Southeast Asia, citing the compatibility with the ethnic Chinese community there who are mostly trilingual.

Sun also said the government has approved 21,000 applications for the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme.

However, he stressed that if the shortage of local labour forces is alleviated, the authority will "definitely" reduce its quotas for imported labour.