Where to study Mechanical Engineering? UK vs Hong Kong

Hi! I am from Hong Kong! I am currently struggling with where to study my undergraduate course. I have offers (Mechanical Engineering) from Uni of Southampton, NTU (Taiwan) and hopefully an offer from HKUST (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology). If I study my bachelor's degree in Hong Kong, I will study my master's degree in the UK. As I am holding a British passport (NOT BNO), I may want to work in the UK in the future. Thus, I would like to have some advice on where should I study.

The following are the questions I would like to know:
1. The reputation of HKUST (QS ranking #27) /Unis in Hong Kong in general in the UK?
2. How do employers in the UK look at a UK master+HK/Taiwan/UK bachelor graduate (respectively)?
3. The reputation of NTU (Taiwan) (QS ranking #66) in the UK?
4. Does IMechE recognize an HK bachelor's degree(Mech Eng) +an UK master's degree(Mech/Aerospace Eng) when registering for CEng?

Here are some pros and cons of studying an undergraduate degree in the UK and HK I am thinking about.

Studying in the UK-
Pros:
1. Improve English
2. Learn to be independent
3. Better facilities and equipment (?)
4. Explore the culture of the UK
5. Better for my career in the UK (?)
6. Shorter studying period (3 years of BEng and 1 year of MSc/MRes)
7. May have more exposures
Cons:
1. Uncertainties due to COVID-19
2. No friends/relatives in the UK. No support in emergencies. Parents will worry.
3. Expensive tuition fees

Studying in Hong Kong-
Pros:
1. Higher uni ranking (HKUST #27 vs UoS #90)
2. Cheaper tuition fees and living expenses
3. Parents will have less worries
4. Local companies' employers prefer people graduating from local unis
Cons:
1. Longer studying period (4 Year BEng+ 1 Year MSc/MRes)
2. Less improvement in English
3. Can't learn to be independent (I am not really relying on my parents tho)

I am not so sure that where will I go to work in the future tho. Hope someone could give me some advice! Thanks so much!!

Id go with Uni of Southampton or HKUST

The HKUST whilst strong I dont think many people outside of academia in the UK know about the university.

Southampton's engineering department has an excellent reputation (I doubt there is a significant reputation difference especially to UK employers).
The QS rankings arent a great indicator of subject specific reputation.

If the BEng isnt IMeche accredited then it wont automatically fulfill the CEng criteria, there is a way to apply for CEng status from an alternatively accredited degree but I have no idea how receptive they are to non-UK degrees.

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To me it would boil down to where do you want to learn: would you rather live in Hong Kong or the UK for the next 3 years.
How keen are you to live in the UK post-graduation.

Thanks for answering!

Where can I find some information about subject specific reputation? Btw, according to QS subject ranking (Mechanical Engineering), HKUST has a much higher ranking than Uni of Southampton too.

Maybe I will ask IMechE directly about fulfilling the CEng requirements.

I have no idea that how is it living in the UK as I have only visited the UK for once, following my school for a geography field trip, and I have no friends in the UK. I supposed to visit the Unis in the UK this summer and couldn't due to the COVID 19 pandemic. So it is a hard question for me that which place to live and work.

Assuming you're not trying to get out of the current situation as soon as possible, I'd do HKUST (or even PolyU) with a year abroad (I think that's possible? ) then do your masters in the UK. The 1 year saved isn't really worth the much higher costs of study.

At least for now HKUST (and PolyU) have very good reputations for engineering in the UK, and better facilities than the UK unis. My main concern would be safety at HK unis as being a student in HK puts a big target on your back when the protests inevitably come back in force, no matter which side you're on. That also means a lot more disruption to your studies.

Seeing as those unis teach in English there probably won't be that much difference in your English level if you come to the UK. You would use it a bit more for basic everyday things, and maybe if you socialise with locals (HKers tend to be fairly cliquey) you'll get better than staying in HK, but not by a huge amount.

I am thinking to apply for a year/semester abroad if I study in HKUST. However, it is highly competitive, which I might not have that opportunity.

Ya, I am afraid that the protests or whatever will disrupt my study and that's why I applied for unis in the UK.

Besides, I am curious about the reputation of HKU, CUHK, CityU in the UK, as HKU has a much higher reputation than PolyU in Hong Kong.

If I study in the UK, I would probably socialize with the British more than HKers as I really want to improve my English. My English is so bad, esp. vocabs.

Here HKUST, CityU, and PolyU have similar reputations because people here have been watching the rise of PolyU quite closely and it has quite close connections to UK universities. When I was applying for PhDs the advice was to apply to PolyU rather than HKUST because the quality was pretty much the same if not higher in some areas, while also being a lot easier to get into (and get funding for).

Hong Kong is a signatory to the Washington Accord, which I'm fairly sure means that someone with an accredited engineering degree in HK would be conferred with full CEng status in the UK, though you would need to double check that as I'm not entirely sure on how the HK equivalent works. I know that's the situation for US engineering graduates though.

ic,
How about HKU and CUHK? (As if I do not get an offer from HKUST, I will probably get an offer from HKU or CUHK)
Btw, HKU and HKUST are 2 different uni

Ic
In Hong Kong, it is easier and more direct to apply for CEng with local unis' degree. Also, a few years of work experience are needed.
Besides, HK BEng = UK BEng+MSc