The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, announced the establishment of The School of Public Policy (SPP) on Friday, aiming to build it into a world-class school that demonstrates the public administration ethos of China and East Asia.

Ninety-five students have started in two master’s degree programs — public policy and urban studies — at SPP this month. In the future, SPP also plans to offer more interdisciplinary programs to study the most pressing public policy and administration issues faced by the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the country, linking public policy with science and technology, healthcare and emergency management, as well as environmental and climate change.

CUHK-Shenzhen President Xu Yangsheng said at the inauguration ceremony of the SPP that in the current global landscape, geopolitical rivalries are becoming increasingly intense, leading to more uncertainties. The emergence of new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, disruptive information technology, quantum technology and genetics, further exacerbates these uncertainties.

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“The scale of uncertainties has surpassed the capacity and procedural norms of many governmental bodies to make informed decisions,” he said.

Xu also said the institute is devoted to providing training and education for individuals from various sectors, including entrepreneurs and engineers.\

“Our goal is to establish a bridge between governments and society, between Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland, between industry and policy, as well as between China and the rest of the world,” he said.

The synergistic development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is one of the new school’s research focuses.

Former Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor also stressed the significance of coordinated development of the Greater Bay Area against the headwinds of geopolitical factors and global protectionism.

Speaking at the ceremony, she said more studies are needed to optimize the systemic and mechanistic development of the Greater Bay Area in order to tackle with the intensified internal competition and to achieve mutual benefits.

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Zheng Yongnian, SPP dean and a professor at CUHK-Shenzhen, said during an interview on the sidelines of the meeting on Friday that SPP will study the policies to encourage healthy competition and avoid malicious competition.

“The integrated development of the Greater Bay Area is inevitable, and that is a crucial area of public policy that we must address in the future,” he said.

In terms of internationalization, Zheng said the school welcomes students from all over the world, and international student recruitment will start from Southeast Asian nations, gradually extending to Europe and North America.

Contact the writer at grace@chinadailyhk.com