Mainland hopes to lure top talent from overseas
Beijing is trying to do more to attract overseas talent at a time when the global financial turmoil is forcing many western companies to cut jobs.
A document released by the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee called for all government bodies to 'open their minds' and 'revamp their existing policies' to attract overseas talent to work on the mainland, according to a Xinhua report on Wednesday.
The decision came as record numbers of students overseas return home with the hope of landing jobs on the mainland. For many, the employment opportunities are much better than in embattled western economies.
'History has proved that attracting overseas talent is a shortcut to breaking the bottleneck of scientific and technological developments,' a senior Communist Party personnel department official told Xinhua.
Although the document did not rule out trying to attract overseas talent without direct Chinese roots, it said overseas Chinese were the most important resources in the recruitment plan.
Of the country's key government-sponsored research projects, 72 per cent of the chief scientists or researchers involved have advanced degrees from overseas. Among 720 members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the country's highest scientific research body, 81 per cent had studied overseas.
The document made clear the primary targets of the campaign were about 67,000 overseas Chinese under the age of 45 who held positions equal to or higher than assistant professor. Another 15,000 or so high-end personnel working for big international companies or organisations would also be sought.
It urged government departments, universities and research institutes to create favourable conditions to lure them back.
The talent drive was, in fact, in place long before the party's instruction. Provinces and municipalities, such as Guangdong, Shanghai and Sichuan , have been reaching out as far as the United States and Europe in an effort to attract top overseas Chinese.
At a Guangzhou job fair aimed especially at overseas Chinese students last month, the city government offered 200 million yuan (HK$227 million) to those who came to the city to start businesses.
Wang Dazong , general manager of the Beijing Automobile Industry Holding Company, suggested that reaching out to high-end personnel in western countries could help Chinese firms quickly bridge the gap in technological development.
As the 'Big Three' carmakers were struggling, Mr Wang suggested mainland carmakers lure back engineers to help their own development.
Smart cars
About 6,500 Chinese engineers work for carmakers in Detroit
The proportion who hold doctorates: 35%
