China Ease Career Barriers for Top Foreign Talent-中国放宽就业限制吸引外国人才

China is looking at removing career barriers and making more job opportunities for top foreign talents eligible to work at research institutions, colleges and universities. In the coming five years, China will further enhance its attractiveness to global talents.

China is looking at removing career barriers for top foreign talent eligible to work at research institutions, colleges and universities - a move expected to make more opportunities, such as research projects or jobs, access to highly qualified foreigners.

Zhang Jianguo, director of the State Administration of Foreign Expert Affairs, said China will further enhance its attractiveness to global talent in the coming five years.

“We will encourage establishing a recruitment mechanism within research institutions, colleges and universities that will take job applications from around the world,” said Zhang. “We will also draft a regulation to guide foreign experts to participate in national science and technology programs, as well as being leaders of important research projects.”

“We will also encourage foreign experts to participate in the selection of China’s science and technology awards equally with their Chinese colleagues,” Zhang said.

Gao Xiang, the spokesman of the administration, said barriers exist for three reasons - limitations created by bureaucracy, lack of transparency in current policies and the Chinese language barrier.

“In the past, some jobs in China could only be taken by Chinese employees within their own system. Some research projects were not open for applications from foreign talents,” Gao said. “There have been some changes in certain research institutes or universities, yet it is not a formalized government policy - not to mention that many foreign talents have little understanding of the changes.”

Gao said another area of the complaint involves the language.

“In China, even if some foreign talents can apply for research project funds, they must submit papers in Chinese. This is a disadvantage for them,” said Gao.

Ralf Altmeyer, a German virologist who is managing director at the Helmholtz Institute of Biotechnology at Shandong University, agreed. Requiring Chinese as a working language does create challenges for foreign experts doing scientific research, Altmeyer said, suggesting that application forms be made available in English.

Wang Huiyao, president of the Center for China and Globalization, a Beijing think tank, added that other barriers should also be removed to keep foreign talents in China.

“Many foreign scientists and researchers might have very limited information, say on education for their children,” he said.

针对目前中国还没有一部专门的引进国外人才方面的法律法规，国家外专局局长张建国27日表示，当务之急是加强与相关部门的沟通协调，推进《外国人在中国工作管理条例》尽快出台，着重解决管理体制、评价标准、许可准入和服务保障、管理手段等方面的问题。

张建国透露，国家外专局还需要尽快启动技术移民立法进程，推动建立透明的、可预期的制度环境。

张建国是在此间召开的全国引进国外智力工作会议上作出上述表示的。他坦言，中国现行引智管理体制不尽符合深化行政管理体制改革的要求，协调难度大、工作效率低，也给项目单位和外国专家来华工作带来诸多不便。

针对中国引进外国人才法律制度缺失等问题，张建国说：“这与世界上主要发达国家通过成熟完备的法律制度吸引人才的方式存在较大差距，是制约我们事业改革发展的最大瓶颈。”

据介绍，2014年，国家外专局按照中央要求，负责牵头完成了《关于加强引进国外人才和智力的若干意见》（试拟稿）的起草，待进一步征求意见、修改完善后，按照程序上报审议。下一步将积极推动这份意见的出台，强化顶层设计，同时要稳步推进《外国人在中国工作管理条例》起草工作，积极参与《人才工作条例》制定工作，努力为高层次外国人才来华工作提供良好的法治环境。