https://en.people.cn/n3/2026/0506/c90000-20453035.html

In 2025, China recorded 535,600 returnees from overseas study, according to the Ministry of Education.

6.44 million out of the 7.43 million Chinese students who completed their studies abroad between 1978 and 2024 have returned.

5.63 million of those returnees, about 87 percent, came back after 2012, alongside the rapid expansion of China’s economy and technology sectors.

For many returnees, China offers advantages that are difficult to find elsewhere. China’s domestic market, application scenarios and policy support create strong incentives for overseas-educated professionals to innovate or start businesses.

China is not simply receiving overseas talent but has also built a policy framework to attract them back over the past few decades. Central and local authorities have introduced measures, including research grants, startup funding, tax incentives, housing support, and streamlined relocation services for high-level sci-tech talent.In southwest China’s Sichuan Province, for example, returnees can access up to 300,000 yuan (about 43,714 U.S. dollars) in startup funding and 100,000 yuan in support for science and technology projects.

Leading universities are also competing strongly: Sichuan University offers globally competitive salaries for deans and discipline leaders on a “one person, one policy” basis, while Southwest Jiaotong University provides annual salaries starting at 600,000 yuan, settlement subsidies exceeding 1 million yuan, along with research funding and family support.

Innovation hubs like Hangzhou’s Future Sci-Tech City further support returnees with tailored “one-stop” services, allowing them to focus on innovation rather than administrative procedures.

When difficulties arise, local governments often step in quickly. In Chengdu, when Duan Jiang, a PhD from the University of Nottingham and founder of the AI-powered

Looking ahead, this support is expected to continue and potentially strengthen under China’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), which places greater emphasis on technological self-reliance and emerging and future industries. A new generation of overseas-educated talent is now taking on frontier fields such as AI, quantum computing, brain-computer interfaces, and biomanufacturing.