China wooing talents back home

Chinese high-tech talents living in Silicon Valley are being called back to their homeland to launch their own startups and help boost the country's slowing economic growth.

中国鼓励在硅谷的中国高新技术人才回国创业，促进国家近来发展缓慢的经济。

China has been trying to woo high-tech expatriates back home for decades, and now it's in more urgent need than ever for overseas talent, as massive entrepreneurship and innovation are being encouraged to achieve a medium-to-high level of economic development, according to the National People's Congress of China.

中国人民代表大会称，中国近几十年来一直呼吁国外高新技术人才回国，现在比以往任何时候更加需要，因为中国的创新创业已经由中级阶段进入到高级阶段。

As China's capital, Beijing has been strategically positioned as a science and technology innovation center, along with being a political, cultural and international exchange center as well, said Liu Chunfeng, director of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of Beijing, during a visit to Silicon Valley on March 6.

北京既是中国首都，又是战略性科技创新中心，还是政治文化和国际交流中心，北京市人民政府侨务办公室主任刘春峰在三月六号拜访硅谷时说道。

"The overseas Chinese professionals will play a very important role," Liu told the attendees at an event held by US-China Association of High-level Professionals. "We are here to express our sincerity and all of you are welcome to come back."

“中国的海外专业人才能发挥很大作用，”刘在一次美中高层次人才交流协会主办的活动中这样说道，“我们来到这里表达诚意，欢迎你们回国。”

Among the attendees was Celia Chao, an engineer in laser diagnostics, a technology that can be used to detect air pollutants. She attended the event in the hopes of learning more about policies for overseas Chinese launching startups in China.

出席活动的有激光诊断学工程师西莉亚·曹，其研究内容可用于测量大气污染物。她出席这次活动目的是了解归国华侨在中国创业的相关政策。

She said her husband has already returned to China, preparing for their own startup and she is leaving to join him soon.

她说丈夫已经回国准备创业，自己也很快离职加入到创业中去。

"It's a decision after comprehensive consideration," said Chao, who graduated from Stanford University with a PhD in laser diagnostics after earning a master's degree from China's Tsinghua University in 2007.

“这是综合考虑后的决定，”她说，她于2007年获得清华大学硕士学位，之后又获得了斯坦福大学激光诊断专业博士学位。“这里环境虽好，工作稳定，但是没多大上升空间，”她说。

Air pollution has become a serious public concern in China, but its technologies in this area are not mature and the instruments are mostly purchased from overseas companies, she said.

大气污染是中国社会的一个严重问题，但是相关技术不成熟，很多设备靠国外进口，她说。

"Since we have this technology, we hope to bring it back and develop our own sensor instruments," said Chao. Their products are expected to provide advanced measuring methods, so the findings can be used by energy- or environment-related data bases.

“因为我们懂这种技术，所以希望回国研发自主感应设备”她说，产品方向是提供先进的测量方法，测量结果供能源或环境相关的数据库使用。

To attract more overseas Chinese professionals to return home, major innovation projects are underway in Beijing, such as the 10-square-kilometer Future Science & Technology Park, which is targeted to lead China's applied science and technology and innovative entrepreneurship, as well as Zhongguancun Science & Technology Zone and 16 high-tech parks, covering a total of 488 square kilometers across the city.

为吸引更多有专业技能的华侨归国，北京在筹备大的创新项目，例如规划占地面积为10平方公里的未来科技园，以期引领中国应用科技和创业创新，并且打造总占地面积达到488平方公里的中关村科技区和16个高新科技园。

Zhongguancun, China's "Silicon Valley", has developed from an electronics products market in the 1980s to a technology hub today. It has witnessed the growth of notable companies such as Stone Group, Founder Group and Lenovo Group.

中关村是中国的“硅谷”，从1980年代一个电子产品市场发展成为了今天的科技中心，见证了一批名企的成长，如四通集团，方正集团以及联想集团。

Zhongguancun has become Beijing and China's "hotspot" for independent innovation and emerging industries. The total revenue of the enterprises in Zhongguancun has steadily increased to more than $500 billion in 2013 from $1.4 billion in 1988.

中关村现已成为北京乃至中国自主创新和新兴产业的“热点”。所在中关村企业的总收入已从1988年的14亿美元增长到了2013年的5000亿美元。

Beijing has become the first choice for overseas Chinese who want to start up their own enterprises in China, according to Liu.

据刘介绍，北京已是华侨回国创业的首选。

Although Beijing is not a traditional home of overseas Chinese, the number of overseas Chinese enterprises has dramatically increased since China's opening-up policy in 1979, said Liu.

尽管北京不是海外华侨的故乡，但自从中国1979年实行开放政策以来，北京的华侨企业数量却在迅猛增长，刘说。