The 2026 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao University Alliance (GHMUA) Annual Meeting and Presidents Forum took place at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of GHMUA’s establishment, this year’s meeting themed “A Decade of Cooperation, Shared Success in the GBA”, brought together over 200 leaders and representatives from 49 higher education institutions and supporting organizations across the region.
Participating guests engaged in in-depth discussions on topics including the integration of industry, academia, and research, collaborative talent development, and the internationalization of higher education. They offered insights and recommendations for deepening regional scientific and educational cooperation and advancing the high-level opening up of higher education in the Greater Bay Area, establishing a high-end dialogue platform to facilitate the GHMUA’s deeper integration into the Greater Bay Area and its contribution to the building of a strong education nation.
As a council member of the Alliance, Prof. Jun Liu, rector of City University of Macau (CityU) was invited to attend the meeting, participating in the council session, the Annual Meeting, and the Presidents’ Forum. CityU received a Certificate of Appreciation for its service as a council member, and was successfully elected to serve as a Council Member of the Alliance for 2026-2028.
The event was officiated by government leaders and university heads including: Zhang Jin, deputy director-general of the Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges, Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China; Wang Weiming, director-general of the Education and Youth Affairs Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR; Choi Yuk-Lin, JP of Secretary for Education, HKSAR Government; Xu Shimin, chief inspector of Department of Education of Guangdong Province; Teng Sio Hong, deputy director of Education and Youth Development Bureau, Macao SAR; Xia Fangming, inspector II of Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of Guangdong Province; Liu Chenggong, party secretary of Sun Yat-sen University; Dennis Lo Yuk-ming, vice-chancellor and president of CUHK; Yonghua Song, president of the University of Macau. They together witnessed the release of the GHMUA’s 10th Anniversary Achievement Exhibition and memorial videos.
- First, build inter-university platforms to achieve credit transfer and interdisciplinary connectivity, breaking down barriers and fostering an academic community;
- Second, expand global research collaborations and research facilities, conducting cooperation with leading international scholars to enhance the University’s global academic visibility and impact;
- Third, innovate cross-border talent cultivation models and broaden students’ global visions;
- Fourth, focus on global challenges in advancing internationalization, providing think-tank support and contributing university solutions and wisdom to national and global development.
During the Annual Meeting, Rector Liu, on behalf of CityU – Council Member of the Alliance – attended the Council Meeting, received a systematic report on the GHMUA’s 10-year achievements and participated in deliberation on key issues. At the meeting, university leaders offered constructive suggestions for future development. Rector Liu put forward two proposals:
- First, deepen collaborative development through the Alliance platform by actively aligning with the United Nations SDGs and expanding higher-level and deeper practical cooperation;
- Second, strengthen exchanges and mutual learning with universities in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta, and overseas Bay Areas, through mechanisms such as regular dialogue platforms and high‑level summits, further enhancing the Alliance’s international influence and outreach.
Established in November 2016 under the joint initiative of Sun Yat-sen University, Chinese University of Hong Kong, and University of Macau, GHMUA aims to bring together university’s high-quality educational and research resources, deepen educational cooperation, develop a “one-hour academic zone”, and contribute to the development of the Greater Bay Area and the national “Belt and Road” Initiative. So far, the Alliance has brought together 52 universities from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, and has established 80 specialized alliances under its framework. GHMUA holds academic forums and exchange activities regularly, propelling research innovation and joint talent cultivation. It has become a premier higher education platform for in-depth cooperation among universities across the region, providing strong support for developing the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area into an international education demonstration zone.
