I am writing to express my views about the proposal to merge the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). As an alumnus of HKUST, I strongly oppose the move. In my opinion, both universities are well-established and are among the best in Hong Kong. First of all, I see no advantageous outcome as the authorities seem to. They said the proposal would help the merged universities become world-class. I think this statement is absurd and ignores the fact the two universities have different cultures, histories and background. HKUST is a young yet ambitious university. Although it has only been around for 11 years, it has been able to publish in prestigious journals such as Science and Cell. The merger puts at risk the ambition and energy of this young university and may ruin it. I also doubt HKUST president Professor Chu's statement that it will benefit from an increase in funding after the merger. Because HKUST is focused on scientific research, engineering and business while CUHK has more diverse departments, I think it more likely HKUST's funding and resources will be reduced because they will have to be shared between the two universities. I would urge the the government and the two universities involved to drop the merger proposal, otherwise Hong Kong risks losing two of its top universities. TERESA WONG Pokfulam