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"Why do my students not come back to serve their country?"
March 25, 2001
Premier Zhu of PRC had once been dean of economics at the prestigious Tsing Hwa University in Beijing, where numerous notables had their education. Premier Zhu's student must number in the thousands. However, many from this elite froup go across the Pacific Ocean in pursuit of advanced education in the USA. As we have indicated in a previous column: out of 400K PRC students in USA, only 110k returned home to teach or take up jobs.
At one time, when Premier Zhu was receiving one of his students, a PH.D. of some renown from a U.S. university, the Premier suddenly raised the question:
-"Why do my students not come home to serve their country? How much money do you want as salary?"
This whimisical question astounded the visitor, who dared not to tell his mentor what he was thinking. Nevertheless, he was touched by Zhu's question and made a great effort to give up his few million US$ retirement benefits to answer Zhu's call to "return to PRC and take up a job." Unfortunately, he was subsequently disillusioned, quit, and finally returned to USA.
This turns out not to be a monetary issue. One fast food restaurant owner, who happens to be a Chinese-American, added an important insight into how to recruit talented people:
-"Give them high pay together with respect".
Anything else? Mr Qian Ning, son of the vice premier Qian Qichen, came to the USA after the Tian An Men Square incident, to earn his scholastic degree. He wrote a book, after his return to PRC, expressing his views, which also reflected the views of the younger generation in PRC.
-"We have recognized a simple fact : We Chinese, particularly the younger generation, can enjoy another kind of life......Chinese women after being reliberated have shaken off their shackles and regained their freedom".
Yes, "freedom" is the key word. It is as common as waterin the USA but not so common in PRC. Without freedom, management policy may not be easily accepted either by the authorities or the communist party-controlled labor force; creativeness is restricted; voices of objection to arrogant bureaucracy, not to say corruption, may not always be audible or may be purposely neglected.
How does this affect someone looking to do business in China? In the case of investment in PRC, you must know how to deal with the problems of recruiting qualified management but also should know how to deal with the bureaucracy. Where can one find those who can bridge east and west? We have capable "headhunters", not of the old legendary aborigines, but out of our extensive network of contacts and records.
110,000 out of 400,000
March 9, 2001
Investment in education is a proven policy for developing countries in pursuit of economic growth. In cases where a country's domestic educational structure is either not adequate or advanced enough, the best students are sent overseas for advanced education. As far as communist China is concerned, it is a necessary EVIL to take this route since their elite scholars may also become "contaminated" by capitalism. Thanks to late the Teng, "the shortie", who coined the terminology "Socialism with Chinese Characteristics", which is in fact is simply capitalism, and who favored the policy of lifting the restrictions on allowing Chinese students' matriculation in USA. In answer to the old communist guard, who greatly doubted the wisdom of this policy and were concerned that those student would not like to return home after their academic training overseas, Teng frankly commented : "If 10% returned home for service, I would be very happy".
At the beginning, USA's policy was to encourage the communism oriented Chinese students to come, based on the belief that the numerous US trained students would eventually have a great impact on PRC's future. TOEFL, or other qualifications, was immaterial. Many mainland Chinese students, as a result, came to the New Continent to first learn English and then to acquire special training afterwards. From this beginning, mainland Chinese students has presently become the largest group of foreign students in the U.S.
During the last 22 years, since the normalization of Sino-American relationship in 1978 to now, students from mainland China to USA has grown to 400,000+. These students, who are sometimes called the "foreign legion", are mostly science students.
Teng would be very happy, if he were alive now, to see more than 110,000+ of those legionaries already returned to China, either to work or to set up their own business/industries.
Such a large number of trained personnel with science background and English language proficiency (although their political influence has yet to be seen) presents a valuable pool of talent that can be leveraged by foreign investment. But how does one recruit and screen them for prospective projects? the PRO management takes pride in saying: we can help you.
E-mail: VJCHANG@hotmail.com
Tel/Fax USA : (301) 438-7439
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