Foreigners try their hands at embroidery in Suzhou New District. [Photo/WeChat account: snd-szgxqfb]
Suzhou in East China's Jiangsu province has for the ninth time made the list of the top 10 most attractive Chinese cities for foreign talent issued by the Ministry of Science and Technology. Nanjing, the provincial capital, also made the list.
Innovative foreign talent services and practical preferential policies played a key role in attracting foreign professionals to Suzhou.
The city was the first in Jiangsu to begin targeted policies for high-end foreign talent in 2019, which includes shortening the time needed to issue work permits for foreign talent from 15 to just three workdays.
Suzhou has also set up a service center for high-end foreign talent to help them with issues related to their daily lives, children's education, intellectual property rights, and acclimatization to the local social and cultural environment.
In late 2020, Jiangsu launched an employment website for foreign talent, which has attracted over 70 local companies and institutions offering around 200 jobs in fields like equipment manufacturing, bio-pharmaceuticals, electronic information, and new materials.
Statistics show that as of Dec 31, 2020, Jiangsu was home to 23,963 foreign talents with valid work permits, accounting for 10.7 percent of the national total. 8,510 of them are high-end foreign talent, while 15,453 are foreign professionals. They mainly work and live in Suzhou, Nanjing, Wuxi, Changzhou, and Nantong.
The service center for foreigners in Suzhou New District. [Photo/WeChat account: snd-szgxqfb]
