Beijing government rolled out new measures in a recently released policy paper to ramp up recruitment for talents in seven fields, including science and technology, culture and art, financial management, education, medical and sports industries that the city urgently needs.
The new package aims to conduct diversified assessments for residency permission and is considered good news for talents who have contributed a lot to the city but unqualified to register based on previous standards.
Recruitment qualifications will no longer depend solely on academic degrees and professional titles. Entrepreneurs and freelancers who have never even been to universities will now have a chance as long as their tax payment meets the criteria.
Administrative procedures for moving high-level talents are also streamlined. People who are with the country's or city's key talent programs or hold scientific awards can be introduced into Beijing with no more than five working days.
Meanwhile, recruitment for special posts is extended from the municipal government to public institutions, state-owned enterprises and scientific centers.
It will also be easier for overseas talents to obtain talent visas, work permits and long-term residential visas. Scientific and cultural enterprises, higher educational institutions and service providers are encouraged to hire foreigners, for whom the municipal government will subsidize 50 to 80 percent of the salaries.
Besides Beijing, a number of other Chinese cities such as Wuhan, Chengdu and Nanjing have also adopted favorable policies to grab talents, with rental discounts or house purchasing subsidies.
Last Thursday, the local government of northwestern city of Xi'an launched a new treatment for university students from the country to enroll in permanent residence in the city and, as a result, more than 15,000 flooded in within three days.
Human resources have been reported to contribute 35 percent to China's economic growth, with the contribution rate of talents reaching as high as 32.5 percent.
As China sees a bigger influx of overseas returnees, its first-tier cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and second-tier cities such as Wuhan and Hangzhou are all turning into highlands that global talents prefer.
