Facing a growing influx of overseas laborers into populous
China, a senior labor official has stressed the country's need for
high-end human resources but not for ordinary employees.
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The official said China will produce a law next year to prevent an
influx into a country burdened with nearly 14 million urban jobless
and 150 million surplus farmers.
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"But we will always roll out the red carpet for overseas high-tech
and management professionals, who are badly needed to spur China's
economic and social development," the official told China
Daily on the condition of not being named.
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He said the government will soon revise present regulations
governing employment of foreigners and those from Hong Kong, Macao
and Taiwan. "Now we are collecting views and suggestions on how to
improve the regulations."
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Current regulations do not clearly define which governmental
departments are authorized to govern such employment. This led to
involvement of several departments, including labor, foreign trade
and public security.
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Meanwhile, this type of multi-source management has led to an
underground market for employing ordinary overseas workers in many
cities.
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Official statistics indicate about 90,000 foreigners are working in
China after going through procedures in line with current
regulations. Most of them are from industrialized countries such as
the United States and Japan. Seventy percent of them are working in
enterprises invested in by foreigners.
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But the official said the real number is probably far greater than
that because of the underground labor market.
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"So we should act at once to stop illegal laborers and import more
professionals," said the official.
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He said China's demand for high-end human resources will grow
continuously as the country increasingly realizes its commitments
to the World Trade Organization.
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Shanghai has become the first choice for foreigners. During the
first 11 months of this year, 15,000 new applicants were approved
to work in China's economic hub. The number represents a 30 percent
year-on-year growth.
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Beijing approved 3,248 foreigners to work in the Chinese capital
during the period and these statistics also increased by 29 percent
compared with the same period last year.
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Moreover, a total of 40,000 from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan have
been officially allowed to work in the mainland.
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Yet the application procedure for well-educated professionals is
still inconvenient. "The law-making efforts should mainly focus on
streamlining application procedures for professionals," said the
official.
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Chinese professionals
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Some experts urged the government to absorb not only foreign
professionals but also professional Chinese in foreign
countries.
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"They and their capabilities should be treasured as well," said
R.C. Lao, a Chinese Canadian working as an environmental expert in
China.
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He urged the government to take concrete action to welcome Chinese
studying or working in foreign countries to return.
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"Well-educated overseas Chinese should be included as the backbone
to push the Chinese mainland forward," said Lao, also the resident
project manager of the Canada-China Project on Cleaner
Production.
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Various-level governments have shown enthusiasm to attract overseas
Chinese to return but some of them have only delivered lip
service.
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"Some of them are only eyeing capital and projects, but paying less
attention to human resources," said Jia Jin, who holds a doctorate
of medicine earned from a US university, but who has suffered many
difficulties in finding an ideal post in his hometown in Gansu
Province.
(China Daily December 25,2004)