China sees major tide of returning overseas talents

Chen Feifei, a Chinese student majoring in journalism in the US state of California, has recently begun counting down her return to China. Today, more and more overseas students are making the same choice as Chen, returning to a China that is more attractive and alluring than ever.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress was held in 2012, China has accelerated its construction of a globally competitive talent system, which has led to a massive tide of returning Chinese talent. Thanks to China's growing international influence, more and more young Chinese professionals are opting to return to their homeland.

"Most of my friends here choose to return to China, and we all think China has big potential and is full of opportunities," Dai Jiaben, a student at Ohio State University, told the People’s Daily. Dai's classmates all feel proud to be able to contribute to the growth of their homeland.

According to the latest data from the Ministry of Education, 4 million Chinese people studied abroad from 1978 to 2015; 2.2 million of them have since returned to China. In 2015, the number of overseas students that returned to China increased by 12.14 percent, clocking in at 44,300 people.

The government’s increasing focus on overseas talent, favorable policies, stable employment and professional opportunities will help push the tide to its highest point, predicted Ai Shuguang, a member of the Western Returned Scholars Association.

Returning overseas talent has improved China's competitiveness in the world. Statistics show that over 70 percent of the heads of China’s national key projects are overseas returnees. According to the Ministry of Science and Technology, in 2016, China’s number of scientific papers ranked second in the world, and its contribution to scientific advancements accounted for 56.2 percent of the global total.

Returned talents have also unleashed great energy in China. So far, there are over 300 pioneer parks created by returnees in China, which generated revenue of 280 billion RMB in 2015. A total of 67,000 returned talents have started businesses in these parks.

Experts predict that in the next five years, China will reach a turning point. At that time, China will transform from the biggest source of talent in the world into a major destination for international talent.