Foreign experts new year gala held in Shanghai

The 2018 New Year Gala for Foreign Experts in Shanghai was held at the Grand Theater on Jan 19.

Wu Jingping, on behalf of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee and municipal government, delivered his sincere greetings to foreign experts working in Shanghai.

Wu said that in 2017, Shanghai brought about a new situation in its economic and social development, and upgraded its economic restructuring to a new level. High-level talents and foreign experts have worked hand-in-hand with the people of Shanghai, making tremendous contributions to the city.

He emphasized that 2018 is the first year of implementing the 19th CPC National Congress's spirit and the 40th anniversary of the reform and opening-up policy. It is a crucial year for building a well-off society and implementing the 13th Five-Year Plan(2016-2020).

The State Council has approved the city's overall planning for 2017-2035. Shanghai must speed up the construction of the "five centers" of international economy, finance, trade, shipping and technological innovation.

Talent is the key to achieving this ambitious blueprint, and Shanghai is more eager than ever to welcome domestic and foreign expertise. Shanghai will firmly promote institutional reform to implement a more active, open and effective talent policy.

In the past year, with the further improvement of the environment for talent development in Shanghai, the total number of its qualified personnel and high-level professionals has been continuously increasing.

At present, Shanghai has 180 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering; 51 foreign expert winners of the Chinese government Friendship Award; 1,011 high-level overseas talents who were selected into the national Thousand Talents Program; 798 high-level overseas talents from the Thousand Talents Program in Shanghai; 1,398 people selected under the Leading Talent Program in Shanghai; 3,376 outstanding students from the Shanghai Pujiang Talents Project; and 1,417 people identified as chief technicians in Shanghai through the Thousand Talents Program.

More than 150,000 foreigners have come to work and start their own businesses in Shanghai, with total registered capital of more than 780 million dollars, and more than 5,000 overseas students are studying in the city. As far as lifestyle is concerned, Shanghai ranked first for five consecutive years in the "Charming China - the most attractive Chinese cities in the eyes of foreigners" rankings.

More than 1,600 academicians from Shanghai, foreign experts of the "Thousand Talents Program", top leaders, young talents, and other highly skilled personnel attended the event.