The Chinese government will continue to encourage more students
studying abroad to return to China and urge post-doctoral researchers
to co-operate with their international colleagues.
A leading personnel
official made it clear that China is willing to expand international
exchanges and co-operation in the area of post-doctoral research
and that the authorities welcome foreign doctoral graduates
to research in China.
Addressing a national
conference on post-doctoral research, which ended on Saturday,
Zhang Xuezhong, minister of personnel, said that by enrolling
foreign doctoral graduates, China will be better able to adopt
the world's most advanced technologies and experiences and
promote the country's overall scientific strength.
Through international
co-operation and exchanges, China has also developed a pool
of talented people who have returned from overseas after earning
their doctorates.
The central government
"has fully realized that economic development relies
on scientific advancement and highly educated people,"
said Zhang.
Zhang was confident
that China "will soon see a rush of returning overseas
students with its anticipated accession to the World Trade
Organization approaching."
To date, thousands
of doctors who studied overseas have returned to China to
continue their research, with at least 10 per cent of them
working on key research projects in State-owned enterprises
or research stations.
In 2001 China will
invest 50 per cent more than last year in post-doctoral research,
and annual funds will continue to be increased by 10 million
yuan (US$1.2 million) in the years to come.
The funds earmarked
for post-doctoral research are expected to reach 100 million
yuan (US$12 million) by 2005, the end of the 10th Five-Year
Plan period (2001-05).
The "post-doctoral"
programme began in 1985, when famous physician Tsung-dao Lee
suggested that top Chinese leaders set up a system to train
people to a high level.
To ensure the establishment
of such a system, the central government has introduced a
series of preferential policies, concerning wages, welfare
and family provision, and issued more than 50 regulations.
(People's Daily
04/23/2001)
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