Exclusive | Liu Yanguo

Project targets expertise as foreigners drawn to a land of new opportunities

This nation can be a dream destination for global expertise, according to a leading official dealing with attracting international talent.

China is increasingly drawing expertise from the four corners of the world and the day of the "Chinese Dream" is dawning, said Liu Yanguo, deputy chief of the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs.

"As globalization deepens, China is adopting more attractive policies toward getting talent from around the world," Liu said.

"We talked about the 'American Dream' in the past, now we can talk about the world's top talent enjoying the 'Chinese Dream'," he said.

China hopes to build itself into a land where foreign professionals can fulfill their dreams and obtain a sense of security, he said.

This is going hand in hand with better workplace facilities and more convenient visa rules, he added.

"Although China is a developing country, our major cities have developed the ability to cater for the all-round needs of foreign professionals," he said. "China's ability to lure the world's top talent is rising."

His organization is carrying out a recruitment project that aims to introduce up to a 1,000 foreign professionals over 10 years to help spur innovation, and promote scientific research and corporate management.

The project started last year and it has just witnessed the arrival of the first batch of recruits.

Of the first 40 foreign specialists, more than 30 have started working in China and the rest will be in positions by the end of September, Liu said.

Their fields of expertise cover mathematics, physics, chemical research, engineering, environmental resources, energy, life sciences and business management.

More than half of them are between 55 and 65, he said.

Liu said the project received 530 applications, mainly from countries that have close economic and technological links with China, such as the United States, Japan, Britain, Germany and Russia.

Potential employers are asked to make an initial deal with candidates and then apply to the project.

The applications were for posts from universities, scientific research institutions and corporate units, Liu, from the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, said.

Employers include the Chinese Academy of Sciences and its subordinate organizations, and so far most potential employers are from coastal regions such as Shanghai, Zhejiang and Jiangsu.

"We don't set quotas for each municipality or province. The introduction of foreigners under the project is determined by the real demand of the employers," he said.

The project awards each foreign professional a one-off subsidy of 1 million yuan ($157,700) from the government and scientific researchers can get a 3 million to 5 million yuan research allowance.

Liu said favorable fiscal policies help lower the burden for employers and the research allowance is subject to real needs.

He said he has noticed that some scientific research institutions employ high-quality foreign expertise on a short-term basis due to high costs, "but government subsidies mean that employers can keep foreigners".

According to the project's eligibility criteria, employers should be universities, scientific institutions and Chinese-invested enterprises.

The targeted foreign professionals include professors at prestigious universities and scientific research institutions, as well as senior technology and management professionals.

Candidates must be non-Chinese, under the age of 65 and not employed full time in China. However, those already working in China can still apply for the project if they started their job fewer than six months before each application phase of the project ends.

The project also requires foreign experts to work no fewer than three consecutive years and spend at least nine months a year in China.

Liu said his office will organize a group of overseers to check each candidate's qualifications, including their achievements and influence in his or her field.

"Each candidate is required to submit a three to five-minute video to state his or her willingness to work in China and the achievements he or she wants to fulfill through the project," he said.

The verification procedure is strict and there is no chance of fake qualifications going undiscovered, he said.

Contact the writer at chenxin1@chinadaily.com.cn