It has been more than a month since the end of the national college entrance examinations, or gaokao, which can determine a student's future in China. While some didn't even score highly enough to enter college, others with top scores can choose whatever university they prefer, including those in Hong Kong.

Although the number of students taking the gaokao has decreased year by year, Hong Kong universities have witnessed a growing number of mainland applicants.

This year, the University of Hong Kong enrolled 303 students from the mainland out of over 12,000 applicants. Among the 303 students, 16 achieved the highest scores in their provinces, municipalities or cities.

The key point here is that Hong Kong universities do look more appealing than their mainland counterparts. They enjoy an academic atmosphere free from administrative interference, an all-English learning environment, and an environment in the world's financial center, qualities that are absent from even the very top mainland universities.

The world's politics and economies are heading toward globalization, and so is higher education. An education system that falls behind international standards can hardly go any further. Outstanding students and accomplished professors are bound to go to places that can provide them with both better academic training and career prospects.

Hongkongers may tend to think that mainland students are taking up their educational resources. But the fact is that Hong Kong universities are endeavoring to attract mainland students by offering attractive scholarships.

Tensions were triggered by ongoing fears over tainted baby formula on the mainland that resulted in a shortage of milk-powder supplies in Hong Kong. Hong Kong authorities even set a limit on exports of baby milk formula.

In recent years, Hongkongers have also nursed complaints about the growing number of visitors from the mainland. They are especially concerned about pregnant women flocking to the region to give birth, as they think they are taking social and medical services away from them.

So will relations between Hong Kong and the mainland improve after more and more mainland students start to enroll in Hong Kong universities?

When I interviewed a US scholar on Sino-US relations, he held a very positive view. He asked me, "Do you know what the figure of 200,000 means?" I was embarrassed and waited for his answer. It turned out to be the number of Chinese students studying in the US.

"These students will serve as a bridge for our bilateral relations, so forget about our confrontations," the scholar said.

Now the number of graduates and post-graduates in Hong Kong from the mainland increases by 1,000 every year, and the total number has reached more than 30,000.

If what the US scholar said proves to be true, I would be more than willing to see an improvement in Hong Kong-mainland relations with our mainland students serving as the "bridge."

Yu Wen, a journalist based in Beijing