A delegation of senior executives from the ChangzhouWest Taihu Lake Science and Technology Zone visited the San Francisco area on Aug 2 to attract young talent back to the mainland.

Located at the southern part of Jiangsu province, the science and technology industrial zone provides a range of manufacturing solutions for overseas companies.

In recent years, emerging industries in this region have developed rapidly.

The Chinese government and economic development zones have launched many programs aimed at attracting back its highly-skilled citizens who study and settle abroad, said Michelle Chen, a representative of the Chinese Bioscience Association (CBA).

"Government and economic zones in different parts of China are competing for the overseas talent with different programs," she said.

The Chinese government started incentive programs such as 1,000 Talents in 2008, Special Talent Zone in 2011 and the 10,000 Talent Plan in 2012, to hunt for overseas talent.

By 2012, a total of 2,778 talent-hunting plans were launched by local governments and economic zones, according to a report released by UN Chronicle, the magazine of the United Nations.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Education of China, in 2012, more than 272,000 overseas students return to China, an increase of 46 percent compared with 2011.

Chen also explained why these young talents may like to start their careers in China after graduating overseas.

"High skilled Chinese immigrants can get jobs in the US or they can establish their careers and start their own business in China," Chen said.

"They can make something big with better opportunities and financial support provided by the Chinese government. "

Also, getting close to their family is another important reason for them to migrate back. "Chinese talents always go where they feel comfortable and where they came from," said Chen.

Daniel Lee, vice-director of Investment Promotion Bureau of Administrative Committee of ChangzhouWest Taihu Lake Science and Technology Zone, said: "We provide a public platform for overseas talents and entrepreneurs who would like to come to WEZ with professional, financial, and policy support."

Policy support includes preferential corporate tax deductions, funding in product research and development, and subsidies for important equipment investments, added Lee

"We mainly support entrepreneurs in new materials, medical devices, and electronic industries," Louis Lu, of the zone's administrative committee told China Daily.

zilian@chinadailyusa.com

(China Daily USA 08/04/2014 page2)