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China urges step-up efforts to attract overseas talent

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-01-08 22:33

BEIJING - China has called on state enterprises and academic institutions to step up efforts to attract more leading Chinese scientists studying overseas, a move that would enable the country to stay globally competitive.

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According to a guideline issued by the General Office of the Communist Party of China(CPC) Central Committee, high-quality Chinese talent in foreign countries, especially those at the frontier fields of science and technology, is needed for China to embrace global competition and forge ahead with its opening up.

Priority should be given to the recruitment of leading scientists who are able to make breakthroughs in key technologies, develop high-tech industries and lead new discipline areas, said the guideline.

It urged key laboratories, state-owned commercial and financial institutions, high-tech zones, and higher institutions to create favorable conditions to attract more overseas Chinese experts to serve their motherland.

Efforts should be made to make sure they are well-treated, have good career prospects and enjoy convenient service, the guideline stated.

"(We should) further emancipate our mind, break away out-of-date rules and regulations, improve relevant policies, and fully understand, trust and use them." it said.

Chinese scientists who have studied abroad have long played a crucial role in developing the country's industry, education and national defense programs. Among them were Qian Xuesen, China's father of space technology, Li Siguang, founder of China's geomechanics and Deng Jiaxian, nuclear physics expert.

An official with the Organizational Department of the CPC Central Committee has said that a large portion of scientists from the country's two top academies studied abroad.

More than 80 percent of the academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences have studied abroad. The figure for the Chinese Academy of Engineering is 54 percent.