Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, Tuesday opened an office to attract overseas talent in Toronto, Canada.
It is the city's third international office, following one each in the United States and Germany, established to welcome high-end businesses and talent to relocate to Chengdu, according to the city's human resources and social security bureau.
"We are trying to make the region's demand for businesses and talent known, and some companies in the Canadian health sector have shown interest," said Zhang Jing, manager of the office.
As a hub in China's western regions, Chengdu wants to woo overseas talent to help it compete with larger cities on the east coast, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, by offering more generous terms and a better environment.
Jiang Zhonghan, a Canadian citizen originally from China, has decided to bring his design team to Chengdu.
An innovation and entrepreneurship competition for overseas Chinese concluded in the city last week and Jiang's team's design, a battery management system for new energy vehicles, won first prize.
"Our system is like the 'brain' of battery unit, which enables it to operate with high efficiency," he said.
Currently, they are negotiating with the Chengdu Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone, which offers preferential policies like lower office rental costs, subsidies for the new energy sector and government aid to help recruit industrial workers.
The competition was part of a hi-tech conference for overseas Chinese in western China jointly organized by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council and two other bodies.
Since 1995, the conference has helped to attract over 1,400 hi-tech talents and more than 1,000 international projects to relocate to Chengdu.
Last month, the city launched a preferential policy for overseas talent who hold a Chinese green card, in which they can enjoy benefits in 20 aspects, such as healthcare and education for their children.
"The rapid development of western China and its thirst for hi-tech talent has made the region a hotbed for entrepreneurship and innovation," said Jiang.
