China launches more favorable policies to lure overseas talents

2017-03-14
People’s Daily

The Chinese government, in the past years, has launched a series of programs to introduce overseas high-end talents and improve China’s scientific research environment. Such endeavor has generated fruitful outcomes and has been appreciated by foreign experts.

“China’s economic and social development in the past decades has indicated the superiority of the country’s political and economic system,” Anders Lindquist, member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences and chair professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, told the People’s Daily in a recent interview.

“As a foreign expert working in China, I’m impressed by the Chinese government’s emphasis on scientific research,” said Lindquist, adding that it is an honor for him to become a foreign academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2015 and to win the 2016 Shanghai Magnolia Award.

The topic that Lindquist is most interested in during the ongoing “two sessions” is China’s new policies to encourage scientific research. He told the People’s Daily that the Chinese government is always willing to take advice to improve the environment of scientific research.

Lindquist is one of the first batch of foreign scholars recruited by China in the “Recruitment Program of Global Experts”, also known as “Thousand Talents Program”, a campaign to bring highly skilled researchers and elites to China.

A total of 381 foreign talents have been introduced in six batches by the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs since the program was initiated in August, 2011.

China has attached great importance to recruitment of foreign talents in the past four years. President Xi Jinping pointed out in May 2014 at a symposium of foreign experts that China should create better work conditions for talent from overseas.

The 2016 government work report confirmed that China would adopt more active, open and effective policies to attract overseas talent.

A series of favorable polices have been packaged in the “Thousand Talents Program”. For instance, experts on long-term projects under the program will receive a one-off grant of 1 million yuan ($144,800). In addition, the employers will also receive certain amount of scientific research funds and subsidies.

To lure more talents, China has increased support for them on entry and residence, project application, resources of scientific research and intellectual property protection.

The Chinese government established the Friendship Award in 1991 to recognize foreign experts who have made outstanding contributions to the country’s economic and social progress. It is the highest prize awarded to foreign experts by the government.

By now, a total of 1,499 foreign experts from 70 countries have received the honor. Fifty experts from 18 countries were conferred with the award in 2016.