To meet challenges from China's imminent WTO entry and the demand for building Beijing into a world metropolitan and a further raise of the level of opening up, sources say an overall plan is being devised by the city to make most of home and overseas brainpower.

It is told 5,000 foreign experts will be employed from abroad and 5,000 Chinese elites in the flower of their age will be sent out on a training program for new advances to be made in education, science and technology and economy of the city in the coming five years.

So far, authoritative departments concerned have put in a conscientious effort in translating into practice "The Plans of Beijing for Introduction of Intellectual Resources from Abroad During the 10th Five-year Plan Years 2002-2005" according to a circular released by Beijing Development Planning Commission and the Personnel Department of Beijing. Since Beijing won its bid for the 2008 Olympic Games, China's WTO entry is imminent, there have been opened fine vistas for Beijing's development. In accordance with the "Plans", as demanded for Beijing's development in the 21st century, high-level brainpower both foreign and domestic will be employed and given the fullest play on specific lines specially designated.

It is learned that back in the 9th Five-year Plan period (1996-2000), more than 1,500 foreign experts along with 17 transnationals' CEOs as advisers under the municipal government had been invited to work in a wide range of fields. A 30-member "Overseas Experts Advisory Group" was established and put in charge, seeing to it that over 1,200 foreign experts were commended. With a large fund earmarked, 5,000 scientific technology elites and 317 bureau and department heads on commerce and management sent to study in such countries as the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Portugal, in face of rivalry for personnel and China's WTO entry.

He Mingzhong, head of the office of Municipal Foreign Intellectual Resource Introduction Leading Group said that in recent years all brainpower, both engaged from abroad and having been sent out, have proved their salt and have all made commendable contribution to Beijing's economic progress and construction. Take Capital Steelwork for example. Every year it has a dozen brainpower employed from Japan, with bilateral cooperation developed with its Japanese counterparts and as a result of the efforts put in, it has a new generation of chips developed at an advanced level of the 1990s of the world. Beijing Nongle Vegetable Research Center, under help of foreign experts, has developed and popularized more than 30 new vegetable varieties and four of these have been produced on a large scale. Things with the public security system of Beijing have also made a world of difference from its past by sending out three batches of technical personnel on a training program abroad, with public security work now being launched on a world advanced level. A fact to be noted is that these have played a big role in uncovering many serious criminal cases found in recent years in Beijing.

It is learned that to do a good job of making most of high-level foreign and overseas brainpower the municipal government of Beijing has special policy formulated. Overseas and foreign experts will be invited and welcomed for their services provided on either a long- or short-term basis, under high pay, with special material benefits enjoyed.

(People's Daily November 7, 2001)