An extract. >Friday, August 25, 2000, updated at 14:46(GMT+8) > >A Promising Undertaking > >Implementation of the strategy of rejuvenating the country through science and >education is an important State policy of the Chinese government. Talent is >the decisive factor in the application of this strategy. Among our ranks of >science and technology, in addition to the 18 million domestic scientific and >technological personnel of various types, there is a contingent of scientific >and technological experts composed of overseas Chinese and foreigners of >Chinese origin with new knowledge and of profound attainment. According to >relevant materials, there are 600,000 scientific and technological personnel >of Chinese descent around the world, who are distributed mainly in developed >countries. There are 450,000 such people in the United States alone. The >research work engaged in by scientific and technical experts composed of >overseas Chinese and foreigners of Chinese origin covers almost all important >high-tech fields in today's world. > >The surging tide of China's reform and opening program has injected fresh >vigor into the scientific and technological ranks of overseas Chinese and >foreigners of Chinese origin. Related materials reveal that between 1978 and >late 1999, the number of students sent by various areas of China's mainland to >study abroad was close to 220,000 distributed in 103 countries and regions. >With the exception of around 100,000 students who returned home after >completing their studies abroad, most students remain overseas, some of them >are still at school, some others live in the countries concerned after >finishing their studies, becoming a new generation of overseas Chinese and >foreigners with Chinese origin. Among them are many outstanding talents, the >overwhelming majority of them have a strong enterprising spirit and a good >wish of serving their motherland by various ways and means. > >Viewed from the practice of China's revolution and construction, professionals >made up of overseas Chinese and foreigners with Chinese origin have played a >significant role in China's socialist modernization drive. Since the founding >of New China in 1949, the Chinese government has paid great attention to >outstanding overseas Chinese talents and has established a special body which >has carried out fruitful work. As early as the 1950s and 1960s, more than >2,500 overseas specialists had returned in succession to work on the mainland >of the motherland, their outstanding representatives are a group of well-known >scientists including Li Siguang, Qian Xuesen, Hua Luogeng and Tang Aoqing, >they have made important contributions to the development of various Chinese >undertakings. Statistics show that in 1990, among the academicians of the >Chinese Academy of Engineering, 132 were returned overseas Chinese scientists >and technicians, accounting for over one-third of the then total number of >academicians. After the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Party Central >Committee in December 1978, another group of overseas experts returned to >China to take part in the motherland's construction. Young in age and with new >knowledge, they constitute an additional backbone force in China's scientific >research and teaching fields. By 1997, among the academicians of the Chinese >Academy of Engineering alone, 157 were persons of outstanding ability returned >in different periods to work in the country, accounting for 51.6 percent of >the total number of academicians. > >Since the middle and late years of the 1990s, a large group of professionals >of overseas Chinese and foreigners with Chinese origin who stayed in the >country concerned after completing the studies have become increasingly active >in serving the motherland by various methods, the fact that they stay in the >country concerned but return home to do pioneering work has become a trend, >and demonstrated the absolute sincerity of these overseas Chinese. According >to incomplete statistics, the Start-up Parks created by 44 returned overseas >Chinese students in various parts of the country have attracted more than >3,000 enterprises, the majority of these parks were set up by the new >generation of professionals of overseas Chinese and foreigners with Chinese >origin who stay abroad after completing their studies, most of the enterprises >are performing well and have good prospects for development. Practice proves >that the undertakings started by professionals of returned overseas Chinese >and foreigners with Chinese origin who come to China not only play an >important role in China's implementation of the strategy for rejuvenating the >country through science and education, but also provide an important way for >the new generation of overseas Chinese and foreigners with Chinese origin to >develop their own career. > >In order to support the development of the career of the new generation of >overseas Chinese and foreigners with Chinese origin and encourage them to >return home (come to China) to set up high and new technological enterprises, >in recent years, the relevant Chinese ministries and commissions and many >local governments of the Beijing and Shanghai municipalities, and Guangdong, >Jiangsu and Hubei provinces have successively published a series of >preferential policies, which mainly include the following contents: First, >preferential treatment in the aspect of technological share. Professionals of >overseas Chinese and foreigners of Chinese descend may participate in >distribution or carrying out technology transfer with patent, invention and >special technological elements. For those who buy shares with high and new >technological achievements from limited companies or enterprises of >non-corporate system, the amount of the fixed price paid for the transfer of >high and new technological achievements can reach 35 percent or even higher of >the registered capital. Second, the policy on the confirmation of identity. >Professionals of overseas Chinese may apply for registered enterprises with >their passports. Those who need the appraisal of technical title may, in light >of their own qualifications, directly apply for participating in the appraisal >of professional or technical titles of the corresponding grade. The technical >title they obtained abroad corresponding to the title of the same domestic >grade will be granted recognition. Third, policy in regard to the settlement >of their families. The minor children of the professionals of overseas Chinese >and foreigners with Chinese origin, if they need to study at a local school on >a temporary basis, will be arranged to study at a nearby better school by the >local education administrative department. If their children need to sit for >college or senior middle school examinations, due consideration is given to >them in reference to the stipulations on returned overseas Chinese sending >their children to school. Priority consideration will be given to them in >sending their children to nursery and in providing jobs. Spouses returned with >overseas Chinese may settle down in the location of their enterprise. Fourth, >preferential treatment in the aspect of housing for living and enterprise use. >Specious houses are provided for professionals of overseas Chinese and >foreigners with Chinese origin. Low-rent preferential treatment is given to >housing for enterprise offices for three years. Fifth, preferential treatment >in the aspect of taxation. For enterprises set up by professionals of overseas >Chinese and foreigners with Chinese origin, financial return is given to that >part of the locally retained value added tax paid in two years, starting from >the day of approval. A 50 percent is returned in three years thereafter. For >those engaging in the business within the scope of the Park area that >encourages production and operation, the already paid local business tax will >be returned by a 50 percent rate in two years, and a 25 percent will be >returned in three years thereafter. > >Today's China's practice of respecting knowledge and talent has begun to >become a social custom, science and technology have become the primary factor >pushing the development of social productive forces. China is a land of >happiness for scientific and technological workers at home and abroad to >display their talent and ambition. > >In the next 10-20 years, we will achieve the objective of "developing high >technology and realizing industrialization." This is a great campaign in the >history of New China, a battle that determines China's future position in the >world and a revolutionary strategic shift on the road of China's development. >At the same time, in an effort to enable the Chinese economy to maintain a >high growth rate in the future, the country has decided to continue to >institute a macro-economic policy of expanding domestic demand and promoting >development, while vigorously pushing forward the reform of State-owned >enterprises, China has begun to implement the strategy of large-scale >development of the western region. This will not only open up new space for >the development of the Chinese economy, but will provide numerous business >opportunities for investors from various countries. The development of the >Chinese economy and the expansion in the area of opening to the outside world >have, without doubt, provided a broad stage for the professionals of overseas >Chinese and foreigners with Chinese origin to give free reign to their talent >and develop their businesses. There will be plenty of room for them to develop >their abilities on this stage. > >The Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council, as a Chinese >government institution specialized in the work of overseas Chinese and >foreigners with Chinese origin, so it is their duty to serve overseas China. >At present, the above-said office is assisting overseas Chinese scientific and >technological organizations to launch the activity of "forming pairs" with >western provinces. This activity aims, on the one hand, to give play to the >intelligence superiority of overseas scientific and technological >organizations and develop long-term mutually beneficial cooperation, and >promote the development of agriculture and high-tech industries in western >provinces; on the other hand, it create condition and find opportunities for >overseas professionals to develop their businesses. Second, said institution >actively helps professionals of overseas Chinese to come to China to set up >businesses, guide overseas experts to come to China to set up high-tech joint >enterprises with relevant departments, or carry out technical renovation and >the development of new products by the method of buying shares with technology >or urge transnational corporations to enter into cooperation and exchange with >China and to introduce to China advanced technology through foreigners with >Chinese origin. In order to further sum up experiences and to provide better >services for more professionals of overseas Chinese and foreigners with >Chinese origin to return home (come to China) to start undertakings, this year >we have chosen "China Wuhan Overseas Students Pioneering Park" and the >"Hangzhou High and New Base of the Zhejiang Provincial Overseas Student >Start-up Park" as the main connection units of the Overseas Chinese Affairs >Office of the State Council. Third, integrating social fellowship and >friendship with the promotion of cooperation and exchange, inviting >responsible members of overseas Chinese scientific and technological >organizations to come to China to carry out exchanges. In the future, overseas >Chinese affairs offices at all levels will, as always, serve as links with the >broad masses of overseas Chinese, including professionals of overseas Chinese >and foreigners with Chinese origin to return home (come to China) to develop >economic cooperation and scientific and technological exchanges, help them >solve their difficulties in returning home to start up enterprises, and offer >them good service, so that they will have ample scope for their abilities, , >make new contributions for the progress and development of science and >technology and contribute their wisdom and strength for the modernization >drive of the motherland. > >(The author Guo Dongpo is the director of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office >of the State Council) _______________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. 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