Survey finds expat workers favor Shanghai

Shanghai has topped a recent ranking of the best cities in China for foreign professionals to live and work in, local media reported Sunday.

More than 72,000 foreigners voted for the cities in China that they found the most appealing in four major categories: policy support, government service, living environment and working environment, according to a report in the Laodong Daily.

Surveyed foreigners evaluated cities across the country in 18 subcategories, including government policies on foreigner identification, support policies for starting a new business, access to government information, job opportunities and salaries, healthcare and education, and the overall culture, the report said.

Shanghai received the highest ranking in the four major categories and 17 of the subcategories. It came in second to Beijing in the subcategory of policies for bringing in and appraising talent. Beijing came in second overall, followed by Tianjin.

Shanghai excelled in aspects such as job payment, child education, healthcare and rights protection. The city was also regarded as one of the friendliest cities to foreigners, the report said.

Tianjin was considered one of the most promising cities in China by foreigners. It ranked high in categories such as job promotion opportunities and access to government information.

The China Society for Research on the Exchange and Development of International Professionals and the magazine International Talent Exchange sponsored the survey, which was conducted by a third party, the report said.