Hong Kong has announced that it will welcome more international students, following the ban on foreign students at Harvard University in the United States.
AFP reported from Hong Kong that US President Donald Trump’s long-standing dispute with the prestigious university has intensified as tensions between Washington and Beijing over trade and other issues have escalated.
Thousands of international students and the universities’ financial income are in jeopardy. A US judge has temporarily suspended the Trump administration’s ban on foreign student admissions at Harvard.
In this context, Christine Choi, the education secretary of the Chinese special administrative region of Hong Kong, said on Friday, “Our doors are open to talented students from around the world.”
Choi also said, “Hong Kong’s education department has taken steps to support students affected by US policies.” As part of this, the university has relaxed the maximum number of foreign students it can accept.
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) said in a statement on Friday that it would welcome students who are currently studying at Harvard or have been offered admission.
The university also said that it would introduce unconditional admission offers, a simplified admissions process and academic support to ensure that students’ educational journey is not disrupted.
According to the US News and World Report, Harvard is the number one higher education institution in the world. HKUST, on the other hand, is ranked 105th.
After Harvard rejected a proposal for government oversight of its admissions and hiring process, Trump lashed out at the university, calling it a “hotbed of radical liberalism and anti-Semitism.”
US Homeland Security Secretary Christie Noem said Harvard should be held accountable for “inciting violence, anti-Semitism and its ties to the Chinese Communist Party.”
Beijing has denounced political interference in education, saying it would “damage the international image of the United States.”
Harvard currently has about 1,300 Chinese students, about one-fifth of its international student body.
Hundreds of millions more Chinese students study at US colleges and universities, which they see as beacons of academic excellence and quality education.