chinadaily]Suzhou to fuel its economic drive with fresh talent" title=""/>

To maintain the extraordinary momentum of the city’s economic growth, the government of Suzhou is reaching out to top talent from around the world with new policies and incentives.

Located in the southeastern part of Jiangsu province, Suzhou is recognized as one of China’s top cities because of its rich culture, abundant tourism resources and long history of talent-driven innovation.

“Elite personnel, especially overseas returnees, are the key to our overall development,” said Suzhou Mayor Zhou Naixiang, adding that those people will play a prominent role in introducing cutting-edge technologies and creative ideas into the city.

To date, more than 143 Fortune 500 companies have invested in Suzhou. This influx of the world’s top enterprises has strengthened the city’s position in the international division of labor while promoting industrial transfer and giving a shot in the arm to talent-oriented businesses.

In 2011, the total volume of the city’s foreign trade reached nearly $301 billion, with foreign investment amounting to around $8.9 billion.

It was named “Best Commercial City on the Chinese Mainland” by Forbes for three consecutive years.

Meanwhile, the city also focuses on innovative entrepreneurship to establish industries with top talent from around the world.

To achieve this goal, it started the Suzhou Venture Week for International Elites, a program to encourage overseas returnees to open businesses here.

In the past three years, the program has had 3,500 Chinese participants, who have worked or studied in more than 20 countries, including the United States, Germany and the Netherlands. Together they have launched a total of more than 3,600 innovation and entrepreneurship projects.

With an investment of 4 billion yuan ($643 million) from central and local governments, more than 500 projects have been initiated in Suzhou that are designed to augment the city’s key industries.

Some 20 of the projects are part of the nation’s 1,000 Personnel Project, a plan by the central government to attract top talent from overseas. The central government is offering each approved professional 1 million yuan in subsidies under the plan.

Last year, the number of elite personnel in Suzhou grew by 20 percent for the seventh consecutive year. To date, a total of more than 5,300 innovators and entrepreneurs have chosen the city as a base of operations for their businesses.

In step with the national drive to develop a knowledge-intensive industrial model during the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15), Suzhou is continuing to invite top personnel in the fields of alternative energy, new materials, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, modern equipment, software outsourcing, financial services and creative enterprises.

These talented individuals are playing a key role in upgrading Suzhou’s core technical capacity and ability to independently innovate.

Zhou Wenxia, a professor of human resource management at Renmin University of China in Beijing, said that as Chinese companies continue to expand their footprint on the global stage, quality professionals with overseas backgrounds will be in high demand.

“They are willing to seek a capable supporter to spread wings in the field they are good at, Suzhou is a perfect platform for them to develop,” he added.

He also noted that another reason why people and companies are inclined to settle in Suzhou is to enhance their market reach to fast-growing second- and third-tier cities in Jiangsu province.

Coupled with the city’s capacity to innovate is a history of more than 2,500 years, which has left behind more than 30 national-level cultural relics.

Some nine gardens sites in Suzhou are on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritages List, including the Humble Administrator’s Garden, dating from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)). Its rich culture is appealing to many people.

Moreover, the city also has a wealth of resources in terms of manufacturing, and its universities provide a large talent pool for high-tech companies, the mayor said.

It has more than 22 high-level education institutions, including research centers of Nanjing Universtiy and Renmin University, according to an official report.

Besides creating a pro-business and efficient environment for talented people, Suzhou has also offered a one-stop service through its platform at Gusu Talent Scheme Service Center.

Those services include travel reimbursement, healthcare, insurance, housing, taxation, customs assistance and education subsidies for accompanying children.

Also, the city is an important link between the modern manufacturing chain of the Yangtze River Delta and the populated megalopolises. It has an advanced network of roads and highways that connect it to population centers across the country.

Those who choose to start their businesses in Suzhou will have the advantage of being close to both Shanghai and the rich resources of Yangtze River Delta.

Suzhou’s talent initiative includes the recruitment of scientists and scholars, business managers and creative artists in cooperation with overseas Chinese associations and student organizations from China and abroad, local officials said.