Chief Executive John Lee on Wednesday said memoranda of understanding (MoUs) signed between education institutions in Hong Kong and Kazakhstan lay the foundation for further cooperation between the two sides in the long run.

He witnessed the exchange of MoUs between Nazarbayev University and Education University of Hong Kong as well as the Hong Kong Polytechnic University during a visit to the institution in the Kazakh capital, Astana, on the final day of his trip to the Central Asia country.

“These agreements will deepen academic and research collaboration. They will strengthen people-to-people ties between Hong Kong and Kazakhstan,” Lee said in a speech.

“This growing network of institutional partnerships is precisely how we build enduring foundations for long-term cooperation and mutual rewards."

The CE noted that some 500 students from Kazakhstan are currently studying in universities in Hong Kong, and he invited more people from the country to pursue career opportunities in the SAR.

“The Kazakh community in Hong Kong is growing, and I invite you to look to Hong Kong for your future. To students here, we welcome talented youth and entrepreneurs with open arms. The opportunities are wide open too.”

Lee also pointed out that Nazarbayev University was where President Xi Jinping first proposed the Belt and Road Initiative back in 2013.

"Since its inception, the Belt and Road has developed a comprehensive framework for global partnership. It's anchored in policy coordination, infrastructure connectivity, free and unfettered trade, financial integration, and critically, people-to-people bonds. More than a decade on, the foundations laid here are delivering rewarding results," he said.

Professor Waqar Ahmad, president of Nazarbayev University, said his institution, which opened in 2010, has a lot to learn from universities in the SAR.

Last year, Nazarbayev University launched a partnership with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology to establish a joint Bachelor of Business Administration programme under which students spend two years at each institution.

“One of the inspiring examples for us is the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology,” Ahmad said.

“35-year-old doesn't behave like a 35-year-old institution, behaves like a fantastic, mature institution which competes with universities which are 200, 300, 400 years old, fantastic in everything that it does, and that's the kind of inspiration that we get excited by.

“We are a university which is still in the making. You've got well-established universities with a global reputation. We need to learn from you to get there.”

Before the exchange ceremony, Lee and his delegation toured the university and visited its teaching facilities on artificial intelligence, new materials and energy technologies.

Lee will head to Uzbekistan on Wednesday afternoon to continue his trip in Central Asia.


Edited by Edmond Fong