HONG KONG, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong will attract more overseas students, especially those from ASEAN and other Belt and Road countries and regions, to study in the city, John Lee, chief executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, said while delivering his third policy address Wednesday.

Creating the "Study in Hong Kong" brand is one of measures to develop Hong Kong into an international hub for post-secondary education. Hong Kong will attract more overseas students to study in Hong Kong through the provision of scholarships and other incentives, Lee said.

Also, Hong Kong will strive to host international education conferences and exhibitions, and encourage local post-secondary institutions to enhance collaboration and exchanges with their counterparts around the world in promoting the "Study in Hong Kong" brand on a global scale.

The HKSAR government implemented a new talent admission regime in late 2022. More than 380,000 applications have been received to date, and around 160,000 talents have arrived in Hong Kong with their families, Lee said.

To build a quality talent pool for development, Lee said that the HKSAR government will reform various aspects of the talent admission regime, including expanding the list of universities under the Top Talent Pass Scheme to 198 universities by adding 13 top mainland and overseas universities, and extending the validity period of the first visa of high-income talents under the scheme from two years to three years.

Other measures included enhancing the General Employment Policy and the Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and Professionals, providing new channels to attract experienced specialists in specific skilled trades facing acute manpower shortage to come to Hong Kong.

Hong Kong will also introduce a new mechanism under the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme, proactively inviting top-notch talents to come to Hong Kong for development, Lee said.