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China pledges ‘immigration system for hi-tech talent’ as part of new 5-year plan
Proposals follow the introduction of the K visa, designed to lure young researchers to the country, amid heightened tech rivalry with the US
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China’s top leadership has pledged to build an immigration system to lure foreign talent in a move that may help increase its competitiveness amid the ongoing technological competition with the United States.
In the blueprint for the five-year plan that starts next year, Beijing said it would “establish an immigration system for hi-tech talent”, and “attract and cultivate outstanding talent from around the world”.
The plans, released on Tuesday following a major policy meeting of the Communist Party’s Central Committee last week, also included a pledge to “build globally influential centres for education, science and talent” and “cultivate outstanding engineers, master craftsmen, high-skilled professionals and other diverse talents”.
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The proposals follow the introduction earlier this month of the K visa, a scheme designed to lure young graduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics by offering them streamlined entry, residence and employment opportunities – without the need for a job offer or letter of introduction.
The latest proposals build on a pledge in a policy paper last year to “explore and establish” a hi-tech immigration system.
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“To the international community, this is a signal of China’s expansion of its opening up,” Zheng Jinlian, the vice-president at the Centre for China and Globalisation, a Beijing-based think tank, said.
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