Take a logical look at China's "brain drain"

• Source: Global Times
• [07:56 July 22 2009]
• Comments

By Wu Meng

According to an analysis by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, since the late 1970s, China’s opening-up and reform has stirred an unprecedented “overseas study fever.”

It is estimated that as of the end of 2007, some 1.4 million Chinese had gone abroad as students and scholars. However, only one quarter of them have returned upon finishing their overseas experience, thereby constituting an unequivocal “brain drain” for China.

Statistics from the US National Science Foundation show that over the past 25 years, Chinese have been among the top foreign recipients of doctoral degrees in science and engineering from American universities.

However, most of these Ph.D. candidates stayed in the US once they received their degrees.

For many years, the Chinese government has worried about the brain drain. People, especially the authorities, tend to look at the phenomenon as a “brain waste” for China. A rational look at China’s brain drain is needed under the circumstance of economic globalization.

A survey by the National Foundation for American Policy in the US revealed the surprising fact that 15 percent of US venture-backed, publicly traded businesses have been founded or co-founded by people not born in the country, including companies such as Google, Yahoo, Solectron, eBay and Intel.

The outstanding track-record that so many Chinese people who have moved to the US have had in business and academia serves as a testament to the quality of the Chinese educational system. Most of these people initially received their elementary and secondary education in China before moving overseas where they have subsequently had great success.

However, these talented people still have benefited China. Their contributions in business, science, and technology filter back to China indirectly. The reasons why these promising minds left China are also understandable.

Scientists in China face a bureaucratic academic system burdened by personal clashes, relative isolation from the wider scientific world, and much lower levels of funding than in the US or other developed countries. For those looking to make their career, it’s no surprise they move elsewhere.

For China, the brain drain is not as serious a problem as it may seem to be. There are many reasons why some people choose to stay abroad, but most of these scientists would be inclined to move back if stronger incentives were offered.

It takes time and experience to attract talented people from all over the world and build a first-rate scientific environment.

For the moment, the crucial thing is to make the fullest use of the talented young people who do stay in China, and provide them with the opportunities they need to succeed here.