Hong Kong is part of China, but is it like China? Overseas employers and students might say yes, after all, more than 16 years have passed since the former British colony’s return to the mainland. But business schools in Hong Kong insist that an education in the special administrative region is so different that students should place it in a different category.

The students

There are distinct differences between Hong Kong Chinese students and their mainland counterparts, TJ Wong, dean of CUHK Business School at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He says his school attracts the cream of the crop from China who have very strong fundamental skills in English, Chinese and mathematics. Hong Kong Chinese students, adds Prof Wong, tend to have a stronger global view and are more willing to speak out in class.