Govt mulls expanding talent scheme
Chief Secretary Eric Chan on Monday said the government is considering loosening the eligibility criteria of one of its talent schemes. Currently, people who graduated from the top 100 universities or institutions in designated world rankings can apply for a work visa in Hong Kong through the Top Talent Pass Scheme. Speaking to reporters in Hangzhou, Chan said the government is reviewing the scheme to possibly include more universities. “There are some universities whose subjects may not be in the top 100 in the world, yet they are popular and very good. We are currently reviewing the scheme to see if these universities should be added to the scheme," he said. "You can never have too many talent. The more talent there are, the more useful they will be to Hong Kong." Chan is joining a youth delegation from the government's Strive and Rise Programme visiting the capital of Zhejiang province. "I have participated in quite a lot of activities under the programme, but all of them were held in Hong Kong," he said during the welcoming dinner. "Today is also my first time to leave Hong Kong with our fellow students for the mainland. I am looking forward to visiting Hangzhou Branch of the National Archives of Publications and Culture with you all tomorrow, to learn about the rich history of our country and Zhejiang."  Chan will also meet with leaders of Hangzhou and Zhejiang to discuss deepening cooperation. Deputy mayor of Hangzhou, Xu Weihua, highlighted Hong Kong's role as Hangzhou's largest source of investment.  “As of the end of last year, Hong Kong companies had invested in 8,278 projects in Hangzhou, with a total investment of US$256.5 billion. "There are 56 businesses from Hangzhou that are listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. In fact, it's not an easy feat. There are 305 publicly listed companies in Hangzhou in total, and one-sixth of them are listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange,” he noted.  Xu said he hopes more reciprocal visits between Hangzhou and Hong Kong would take place, and the two cities would explore deeper collaboration and exchanges in areas such as trade and technology. Raymond Tam, the Jockey Club's executive director of corporate affairs, said the five-day trip will be a very valuable experience for the youths. Olympic fencing gold medallist Vivian Kong, who's now an assistant external affairs manager at the Jockey Club, is also taking part in the trip.