The university says it is the first dedicated meeting place for international students in Hong Kong and serves as a symbol of its role as an education hub for the region.

Students can watch international news and educational programmes on a bank of 13 television screens tuned to different stations around the world, use its indoor internet cafe or drink al fresco. And local students can get information on the 150 foreign universities with which HKU has exchange links.

The centre will also host a programme of international events and activities such as international film and arts festivals, exchange fairs, exhibitions and concerts.

The number of overseas students coming to Hong Kong on exchange visits or to take degrees is increasing with the relaxation of University Grant Committee quotas from 4 per cent in 2002-03 to 10 per cent this year, and no limit on research postgraduates.

But UGC secretary-general Mary Tsang Fung-yee said the committee was still anxious to balance the benefits of greater internationalisation with local needs: 'When considering any possible increase of quota in the future, we will ensure there are enough education opportunities for local students. Indeed, we expect institutions to recruit non-local students of better standard when compared with local ones.'

She said the UGC set aside $120 million to support undergraduate exchange programmes from 2002-03 until this year and had earmarked a further $40 million to help the eight universities develop their international profiles.

HKU has a record 3,000 mainland and foreign students on campus this year after doubling its non-local undergraduate and postgraduate intake. A further 800 are expected on exchange programmes.

Professor John Spinks, senior adviser to the vice-chancellor, said the larger number of international students was having a beneficial effect on local students, particularly in terms of English language development and increased cultural sensitivity. They, in turn, were helping to contribute to international students' educational experience. They acted as 'buddies', pairing up with them the moment they stepped out of Chep Lap Kok, helping them learn about local customs, transport and language.

'The development of global competencies is vital for graduating students today, particularly those wishing to go into large companies with international subsidiaries or an international vision,' Professor Spinks said.

'Furthermore, the critical problems of today, such as poverty, security, health, human rights, are all ones that should be debated on campus from a multicultural perspective. These are all reasons why the university has encouraged the internationalisation of its student body.'

HKU is not alone in its effort to develop its global profile. Hong Kong Polytechnic University expects about 450 exchange students, and Chinese University of Hong Kong has already attracted 380 on exchange visits in the first semester, with another 300 expected in the second. Like HKU, CUHK has seen an increase in non-local students registering for degrees, with 280 non-local undergraduates this year, up from 237 last year.

In addition to operating buddy systems, universities are exploring other ways of integrating foreign and local students, including residence and even room-sharing.

Professor Fan Yiu-kwan, vice-president (development) at Hong Kong Baptist University, said: 'It's important to expose our international students to the true cultural scene in Hong Kong so we pair them up with local students in the dorms.'

CUHK has established an international house this year comprising 30 apartments for three groups of students; local, mainland and international, each housing 10 students, and PolyU has started a host family scheme.

Jeanny Tang, of PolyU's Academic Exchange and Collaboration Office, explained: 'Although the student doesn't actually live with the host family, they can join in family occasions like dinner, a picnic or going hiking. We encourage the host families, who are all PolyU staff, to hold at least three or more activities each semester.'

Other ideas include Baptist University's 'consuls general in residence' programme, involving inviting three to four consuls general a year to hold residencies at the university, and its policy of encouraging students to get involved with the local community.

The integration efforts, however, drew mixed reactions.

Baptist exchange student Sommer Nanninga, from Australia, said room-sharing was a good idea, but not everyone was happy with increased internationalisation. 'There is some resentment by local students about the number of international students in the programme because it means a lot of their local friends have missed out on places in the residence halls.'

Bobby Shui, a former exchange student at HKU from California, said overseas Chinese sometimes faced problems. 'Although I'm Chinese, I interacted very little with locals on campus. Differing social norms and language barriers also caused problems.

Maiko Gundermann, a postgraduate student from Japan studying at HKU, said: 'Locals don't associate with overseas students because they are not confident in their English. There is also often an age gap between local and overseas students, who tend to be older.'

Exchange student Maarten Goetheer, from Amsterdam, agreed. 'Locals spend a lot of time on their studies and not so much going out to clubs and bars, whereas in Amsterdam this can sometimes be the other way around.'

HKU students at the opening of the global lounge were under no illusions about the difficulties of integration, but praised the initiative.

Mainlander Sylvia Tang Xianwen, studying biotechnology, said: 'Most of the international students live in Star Hall and form a clique and sometimes it is difficult to get to know them. This centre will be really helpful because I can come and meet them here.'

Djime Hamadou, 30, from Mali, who is taking a master's degree in public health, said: 'Hong Kong students are a bit distant. I hope they will use the lounge and mix more with international students.'

Shane Lau Wai-shing, from Hong Kong, in the fourth year of a linguistics degree after spending a year at London University's Royal Holloway College, said the wide range of people he met in London had broadened his horizons. 'I will be using the global lounge a lot. It's a great place to meet people from all over the world and practise languages in a relaxed environment.'

Additional reporting by Liz Heron