Transnational elites enhance the connectivity of Chinese cities in the world city network

Abstract

In recent decades, Chinese cites are increasingly integrated into the global economy through transnational flows of information, people, and goods. For example, leading Chinese cities such as Beijing and Shanghai have climbed rapidly the Globalization and World Cities Research Network (GaWC) ranking over the past decades (Derudder et al., 2013;Liu et al., 2016). This rising connectivity is partly due to the efforts made by both public and private sectors to attract skilled international migration into Chinese cities (Liu and Shen, 2017;Zweig and Wang, 2013). This is consistent with Beaverstock's (2002: 525) observation that 'skilled international migration is as an important process of both contemporary globalization and the global city'. One of the most prominent efforts to attract skilled international migration to Chinese cities is the Recruitment Program of Global Experts (the 'Thousand Talents Plan') (Zweig and Wang, 2013). The Thousand Talents Plan was established by the Chinese Government in 2008 with the aim of recruiting distinguished university professors, highly skilled engineers, and entreprneurs to China. To date, this program has attracted more than 7000 talents around the world by offering prestigious titles, competitive salaries, generous start-up research fund, and considerable living allowance.This article aims to visualize the migration trajectories of recruits in the 'Thousand Talents Plan'. We gathered information on their migration history by accessing the official

The characteristics and influencing factors of spatial network of city-based innovation correlation in China: from the perspective of high tech zones

“…Specifically, it can be divided into actual flow elements and virtual flow elements. In terms of the actual flow factors, the flow data of innovative talents such as entrepreneurs 8 , and scientists 9 , 10 are mainly used to build the urban innovation correlation network, and the inter-city technology exchange and knowledge transmission promoted by the flow of talents are explored. In terms of virtual flow elements, which are concerned, researches are mainly carried out through knowledge flow data such as scientific and technological achievements.…”

Locational preferences of high‐level overseas talent returning to China: Evidence from microdata analysis

“…There has been growing scholarly interest in recent decades on the migration of the highly skilled to China (Dai & Liu, 2009; Hao et al, 2016; Jiang et al, 2020; Li et al, 2018; Lynn‐Ee Ho, 2011; Ma et al, 2018; Sun et al, 2017; Wang et al, 2015; Welch & Hao, 2012). While one body of literature has focused on the drivers and socioeconomic consequences of international skilled migration to China (Chen & Li, 2019; Dai & Liu, 2009; Lynn‐Ee Ho, 2011; Sun et al, 2017), another has focused on the work–life experiences of skilled migrants from abroad in China (Hao et al, 2016; Li et al, 2018; Wang, 2019, 2021; Welch & Hao, 2012).…”

“…While one body of literature has focused on the drivers and socioeconomic consequences of international skilled migration to China (Chen & Li, 2019; Dai & Liu, 2009; Lynn‐Ee Ho, 2011; Sun et al, 2017), another has focused on the work–life experiences of skilled migrants from abroad in China (Hao et al, 2016; Li et al, 2018; Wang, 2019, 2021; Welch & Hao, 2012). Only a few studies have examined the migration decision of high‐level overseas talent using quantitative analysis (Jiang et al, 2020; Ma et al, 2018; Wang et al, 2015). For example, Wang et al (2015) examined the recruitment process through the lens of both employers (i.e., higher education institutions) and job seekers (academic returnees), indicating that university and disciplines' global rankings, economic incentives, and personal social networks played a vital role in affecting returnees' job market and locational decisions.…”

“…As the largest developing country in the world, China has suffered severe brain drain for many decades, as many specialists and students, especially in the fields of science and engineering, have studied abroad with no plan to return (Yang, 2020;Zweig & Wang, 2013). According to the Ministry of Education, nearly 5.86 million Chinese students went abroad for study over the period of 1978-2018, but There has been growing scholarly interest in recent decades on the migration of the highly skilled to China (Dai & Liu, 2009;Hao et al, 2016;Jiang et al, 2020;Li et al, 2018;Lynn-Ee Ho, 2011;Ma et al, 2018;Sun et al, 2017;Wang et al, 2015;Welch & Hao, 2012).…”

“…Another two studies have focused on the spatial pattern of high-level overseas returnees in China. Ma et al (2018) visualised high-level overseas talent's migration trajectories from home to study to work without probing their determinants and processes. Jiang et al (2020) examined regional factors that influenced the distribution of young high-level returned talent in China using stock data aggregated at the city level.…”