Crossing the Straits to recruit new blood

Xiamen, a port city in Fujian province, has recruited thousands of professionals from locations around the country, including more than 3,000 from Taiwan.

The city, which occupies a key location facing the Taiwan Straits, plays a crucial role in the promotion of cross-Straits exchanges, including the recruitment of personnel, according to Huang Qiang, the city's executive vice-mayor.

It was the first city to initiate a mechanism to employ experts and professionals from Taiwan, who will each be eligible for living expenses of as much as 1.5 million yuan ($223,800) a year, plus 4 million yuan to subsidize their work, he added.

Xiamen also works with agencies across the Straits to host recruitment events, and is striving to attract professionals and talent by developing fast-growing industries. As of Aug 3, more than 3,000 people from Taiwan had moved to the city, he said.

After China initiated the reform and opening-up policy in 1978, many of the country's best-educated people swarmed to first-tier cities, such as Beijing and Shanghai. However, as they attempt to develop and look to upgrade their industrial bases, many second-tier cities are releasing policies to attract people from other regions.

This year, the Xiamen government released a 45-point blueprint in an attempt to achieve a similar goal. The measures target professionals in emerging sectors such as integrated circuits, new materials, biomedicine and internet-based industries. Some of the newcomers could be granted as much as 100 million yuan each to develop their technologies and businesses, Huang said.

The city is also focusing on recruiting professionals, including teachers, doctors and engineers. Renowned teachers will receive subsidies of as much as 1 million yuan each, while high-flying graduates from key universities in other regions will get 200,000 yuan in subsidies if they opt to work in schools in Xiamen.