https://www.scmp.com/rss/512626/feed Dr Futao Huang is a professor at the Research Institute for Higher Education, Hiroshima University, Japan. Before he came to Japan in 1999, he taught and conducted research in several Chinese universities. His main research interests include internationalisation of higher education, the academic profession, and higher education in East Asia. He has published widely in Chinese, English and Japanese languages. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Futao Huang Futao Huang Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi entered office with an unusually strong political mandate following her decisive election victory on February 8. Among her early signals was a renewed emphasis on science, including a call for a substantial expansion of investment in basic research. For a country grappling with demographic decline, fiscal pressure and intensifying technological competition, the message was clear: knowledge and talent are once again central to national strategy. The political... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3343625/universities-japan-and-china-are-becoming-tools-national-strategy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3343625/universities-japan-and-china-are-becoming-tools-national-strategy?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Feb 2026 01:30:08 +0000 Futao Huang Futao Huang Hong Kong’s government has repeatedly declared its ambition to turn the city into an international education hub. In speeches, policy documents and investment plans, this vision is portrayed as central to boosting competitiveness, revitalising the economy and deepening integration with the Greater Bay Area development zone. Can Hong Kong truly achieve this goal, and under what conditions? For decades, Hong Kong’s universities have stood among Asia’s finest. With strong English-language... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3331635/5-ways-hong-kong-can-stand-out-global-education-hub?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3331635/5-ways-hong-kong-can-stand-out-global-education-hub?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Nov 2025 01:30:08 +0000 Futao Huang Futao Huang China has laid out its most ambitious education road map to date. The Education Power Construction Plan Outline aims to transform the country into a global education powerhouse by 2035. As the mainland’s universities climb up global rankings and research output surges, Hong Kong’s role in advancing this vision deserves greater attention. Amid rising geopolitical tensions – exacerbated by moves such as US universities cutting ties with select Chinese institutions – Hong Kong’s globally connected,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3312019/china-be-education-power-hong-kong-universities-must-stay-free?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3312019/china-be-education-power-hong-kong-universities-must-stay-free?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 May 2025 08:30:09 +0000 World-class universities attract investment which can help diversify the economy and ensure future growth. China learned this early on and even charted its own rise by establishing an international university ranking agency, the Academic Ranking of World Universities (AWRU). In 2016, two Chinese universities made the top 200 of the Times Higher Education rankings. There were seven in the top 200 of the same ranking in 2021, with Tsinghua University and Peking University in the top 25. Last... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3178704/why-some-chinese-universities-are-opting-out-global-rankings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3178704/why-some-chinese-universities-are-opting-out-global-rankings?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 May 2022 22:45:20 +0000