Beijing wants to attract more foreign experts

More senior foreign experts will be invited to Beijing this year, and the validity of their residence permits can be extended to five years from the current term of one, according to the municipal human resources and social security authority.

For these invited foreign specialists, Beijing aims to provide more convenience for their work and daily lives, said Chen Bei, deputy head of the capital's human resources and social security bureau, at a news conference on Friday of the Beijing People's Congress.

Those invited under the Recruitment Program of Foreign Experts also will receive more research funding and a bigger settlement allowance, she said.

As for foreign experts who have worked in the city for a long period of time, the bureau will consider giving them more subsidies, including medical insurance and educational assistance for their children, she said.

"Beijing's fast development of high-end industries, such as new energy and biological medicine, needs more international talent, and we must provide more benefits to attract it," she said.

Another change: The number of invited foreign professionals will have no limit, although the total will depend on demand and the experts' qualifications.

Beijing's Exit and Entry Administration confirmed the new policies, saying it will provide services for foreign talent and extend their residential permits in line with the bureau's requirements.

"Foreigners with talent visas can only stay one year in the city at present, which means they have to update their residence permits as the certificates expire annually," said Yang Liu, an officer with the administration.

She added: "We'll relax or prolong a foreigner's residence time only when we receive notice from the bureau. How long it can be extended will depend on the bureau's documentation."

Ada Jen, government affairs director at the International School of Beijing, spoke highly of the new "green channel", saying several parents of her students are certain to benefit from the policy.

"Some parents who are engaged in life sciences and work for colleges or institutions in the city have had problems dealing with the residence permit every year. But after the policy takes effect, they will be free from worry," she said.

China launched the Recruitment Program of Foreign Experts in 2008, aiming to lure about 2,000 high-profile scholars, entrepreneurs and financial workers.

The program looks for non-ethnic Chinese experts who are under 65 years old, have a doctorate granted by overseas educational institutions, and are able to work in China for three consecutive years with at least nine months out of each year spent working.