Peking University intends to establish a research institute in Hong Kong’s future university town in the Northern Metropolis, the city leader has said as he wrapped up his three-day duty visit to Beijing.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu met Peking University’s party secretary He Guangcai on the campus before having breakfast with four young Hongkongers working or studying in Beijing on Wednesday.

At the meeting, Lee shared the Hong Kong government’s plans to accelerate the development of the Northern Metropolis and explore the university town’s development model.

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“He agreed with the university town’s development plan and indicated that Peking University intends to set up a research institute in the university town in the future. I felt very encouraged and exchanged views with He on the development,” Lee said in a social media post.

Peking University was ranked second in Asia by Britain-based education intelligence firm Quacquarelli Symonds, or QS, after the University of Hong Kong, in the latest rankings released last month.

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The Northern Metropolis blueprint, first announced in 2021, aims to turn 30,000 hectares (74,131 acres) of land near Hong Kong’s border with mainland China into an economic powerhouse and a housing hub.