China could use ‘green cards’ to lure foreign scientists

The authorities are considering making it easier for foreign researchers to live and work in the country

Reading Time:3 minutes

China is trying to attract overseas scientists as part of its efforts to boost domestic research and development. Photo: Xinhua

Victoria Belain Hong KongandDannie Pengin Beijing

Published: 8:51pm, 22 Jul 2024Updated: 10:31am, 23 Jul 2024

China is considering changes to the immigration system to attract more foreign scientists, including offering permanent residency.

In a resolution published after last week’s third plenum, a key policy meeting, the Communist Party said it hopes to “improve the support mechanisms for recruiting talent from overseas and create internationally competitive personnel systems”.

“We will also explore avenues for establishing an immigration system for highly skilled personnel,” the resolution read.

In a written document released on Monday, President Xi Jinping said the country’s “innovation capacity falls short of the requirements for high-quality development” and warned it is too reliant on key and core technologies controlled by others.”

Alexey Kavokin, a Russian-French theoretical physicist and director of the International Centre for Polaritonics at Westlake University in Zhejiang province, said he would welcome a Chinese equivalent of the US green card scheme.

“I would be delighted to have a Chinese green card. Currently, I have a residence permit and a work permit. [Renewing] them was not so easy,” Kavokin said.