Western China,coastal cities new favorites for expats, survey shows

By Fan Anqi photo by Li Yiwen

Top 10 most attractive Chinese cities for foreign talents unveiled

Cities in western parts of China such as Chengdu as well as eastern coastal cities including Ningbo have made the list of this year’s most attractive Chinese cities for expatriates,according to a survey released recently by the Foreign Talent Research Center of the Ministry of Science and Technology(MOST).

China’s capital Beijing topped the chart this year as the most favored city for foreigners, replacing Shanghai which had been in top spot for eight consecutive years.

The top 10 cities in the list-titled “Amazing China-the Most Attractive Chinese Cities for Foreigners”-in 2020 were Beijing,Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Xi’an, Chengdu, Ningbo,Suzhou, Shenzhen and Qingdao.

The poll has been running for 11 consecutive years, starting in 2010.This year’s survey features foreign experts engaged in high-end international cooperation programs, with a total of 149 signed ballots from senior foreign experts and 3,727 signed ballots from other foreigner in China.Among the foreign expert voters, there were also 14 Nobel Prize winners and one Turing Award winner.

“One significant change in this year’s list compared with previous times is that western parts of China seem to be more attractive to foreign experts than before, partly because of their remarkable performance in economic development and improved international business environment over the years,”said Xu Qingqun.editor-in-chief ofForeign Expert NewsletterandInternational Talentmagazine.

Xi’an in 2020 became the first city in Northwest China to join the “trillion-GDP club,” with a per capita GDP of 9,306 yuan ($1,447).Deeply involved in the country’s Belt & Road Initiative drive, the city has seen over 3,720 China-Europe freight trains departing or arriving.

Eastern coastal cities such as Ningbo have also outrun others with progress made in East China’s Zhejiang Province Demonstration Zone for Common Prosperity, Xu noted.

Based on some 54 indicators in five categories, the survey gave an overall assessment by expats about the cities’ work and living convenience, social environment and openness.

“With the growing tension between China and the US, and the impact of the pandemic, international exchanges have encountered some difficulties in recent years.But we are seeing academicians from around the world trying hard to make it work through online channels,” Xu said.“They understand that the more hardships and misunderstandings they are facing, the more they need communication with China.”

China has introduced a great number of favorable policies that welcome expats, such as issuing more work permits and a foreign talent visa system.“However, the implementation of such policies is an issue that needs further work, so as to make the policies more flexible and practical,” Xu added.