China’s Brain Drain

The country has been complaining about losing so many of its best. And in fact China has lost some 70% of the Chinese who traveled overseas to study.

Of the 1.06 million Chinese who went oversease from 1978-2006, just 275,000 returned home.

200,000 went overseas, found jobs or obtained a new citizenship.

300,000 went abroad for a visit of some sort and stayed.

The Ministry of Personnel thinks the " lack of first-class scientists and research pioneers is the main thing hindering China's innovation capability." Thus…the brain drain.

Consequently, there is a plan to lure 150,000 to 200,000 overseas-based Chinese students back to China by 2010 with offers of preferential policies on;

1. income

2. welfare

3. housing

4. education for their children

Another step China is taking is to allocate some 470 million yuan for post-doctorate research. Perhaps the country get some of their brightest to come back and do more research at home instead of abroad.

However, PhDs at a recent job fair in Beijing might think that China will need to try a whole lot harder.

What do you think China needs to do to get its best to come back home?