The Chinese University of Hong Kong will announce its strategic plan for the next five years on Thursday, according to its president Dennis Lo.

Speaking on a Commercial Radio show on Sunday, Lo said that the blueprint will align with the 15th Five-Year Plan, as well as help China play a leading role in education and technology.

The school will then work on a “campus master plan”, he said, to brainstorm how to utilise the vacant Area 39 in Pak Shek Kok – between its main campus and the Science Park, where an MTR station will be built.

"The faculty of medicine will construct a new building there. It is 300,000 square feet. There will also be a research institute that can accommodate 850 people. Also, a life science building will be constructed after a few months," he said.

"Moreover, we will have a new college. Now CUHK has nine colleges. This will be the 10th, it will also be located there. So when everything is completed, I believe it will greatly increase the space we can use."

When asked what more could be done to turn Hong Kong into a hub for high-calibre talents, the president noted that the SAR is the most internationalised city in China, saying it is very convenient for academic conferences and exchanges to be staged in the city, and it is also an attractive place to live.

But high housing costs are one of the SAR's weaknesses, he said, adding that CUHK will try to build more apartments and dormitories.


Edited by Aaron Tam