Co-developed by the Ministry of Personnel and Beijing municipal government, the park will act as an incubator for small and medium-sized high-tech enterprises operated by returned overseas students.

"The municipal government issued specific policies in 2000 to encourage the overseas students to return home and play active roles in high-tech sectors based on their talent and self-developed technology," said Beijing Vice Mayor Sun Anmin.

Preferential policies on tax, land-use fees, foreign exchange administration and streamlined industrial and commercial procedures will be implemented.

"The park will offer a sound environment, world-class research and development equipment and efficient and convenient administrative services," said Sun.

According to the general design of the park, its building area will total 70,000 square meters. The first phase of construction with a building of 24,000-square-metre floor space began in 1999 and nearly 1,000 overseas students have settled there.

Du Xiaoqiang, manager of the development department of the park, told China Daily that priority will be given to enterprises engaged in micro-electronics, bio-technologies, modern telecommunications, new materials and environmental protection.

"With the establishment of the State-level park, Beijing's network of returned overseas students pioneer parks is taking shape," said Shu Huiguo, vice minister of personnel.

Sources from Beijing municipal government revealed around 3,000 enterprises are run by returned overseas students in Beijing, involving some 40,000 staff.

And 600 companies are operating in Beijing's eight municipal-level overseas students parks.

The first park was set up in Haidian District in 1997. And there are also parks in Peking University, Tsinghua University and Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

(China Daily April 17, 2003)