Getting back to the original topic, my view is that most HK universities simply aren't attractive to non-mainland students, at least not the ones the universities actually want to target.
HK universities have a chance of targeting good quality mainland students (E.g. those who get into top provincial-level universities), who are interested in living/working in HK afterwards, and are on-par or better than local students.
However, if you're a top student in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, HK is not very attractive, because the quality of education is about the same, and you probably aren't too interested in working in HK afterwards.
What would you say if I walked down the street in Vancouver and asked local Asian's when they were about to go 'home'? For some of us, Hong Kong _is_ home, and while we might leave some day, that doesn't make us so different from the local locals, many of whom I know are looking into emigrating.
Might have something to do with half the professors being from there, too. Cultural compatibility matters. And given the hierarchical behaviour they expect, of course they will rather invite mainland students over overseas students - most likely, they'd even prefer them over local students. I was the only 'overseas overseas' graduate student in the Faculty of Science for the entirety of my PhD program - and the department didn't have a single non-Chinese professor, either. The program, on paper, is conducted completely in English, but then of course all the mainland professors were praying to Mao almighty to make sure the white guy wouldn't show up for their class and force them to actually teach everything in English. If you don't explicitly make diversity an objective, it simply won't happen.
Locust.fund, you made a lot of strong statements.
You speak as though you know all the mainland students, you even know how they live, who their friends are, even which television channels they watch. This is quite a claim, or is it just a negative and biased generalisation?
Also what you say is rather contradictory, if the mainland students never venture from their own groups, how would you know so much about them, you know all their friends and even the television channels that they watch. Or are you some sort of black-leather-clad super spy?
Westerners like me, well you have made many generalisations, you know nothing about me but you state I am here to study, find a job and make money. Well the 'truth is', couldn't be further from reality.
I'm a permanent resident here but all the local unis I applied to rejected me , and I wanted to do MBA or Accounting, not even a doctor or sciences. So yeah its pretty hard to get in. I don't know how they prioritise students, like who can get in and who cannot. However, when I applied to a uni in Australia I got accepted with no problems.
Locust.fund,
You sound like Donld Trump and his attempts to limit Muslims and Mexicans in the US.
Hong Kong is proud to be an international city, do you want everyone to leave, including the people from the mainland?
Getting back to the main topic, do not forget Hong Kong is a part of China. The 50 years of one country and two systems is to allow time for both sides to understand and learn from each other for greater harmony.
I believe students from the mainland coming to Hong Kong is great and it is also great that students from Hong Kong also study in China.
The mainland students will bring ideas back to China and the Hong Kong students will bring ideas back to Hong Kong. These kids are the future and the more they learn from each other the better for society and humanity.
Haha, typical westerner.
I think reading Lucian Pye's 1982 book "Chinese Commercial Negotiating Style" can enlighten you about the true nature of Chinese people somewhat.
http://www.iberchina.org/files/2016/...iation_pye.pdf
And oh, as a matter of fact, I have come across many people from mainland China. While I can speak fluent Mandarin, literally none of them can speak Cantonese (Do you speak Cantonese, Mr. permanent resident?). Guess why?
Yes my Cantonese is fluent, even the locals in Hong Kong are surprised that I am not a local.
I even know the meaning of the frog at the bottom of the well! ;-).