“When I first came to China, I wouldn’t even say thank you.” Huo, who had never studied Chinese before studying in China, was presented at the 3rd China Overseas Talents Recruitment Conference sponsored by the Overseas Study Service Center of the Ministry of Education. 4 resumes. The young man from Portugal is currently studying at Beijing Institute of Technology and hopes to stay in China after graduation this summer. In his plan, raising the Chinese level is an important factor in choosing to stay in China.

“I hope my Chinese level will be improved because Chinese is very important to me. In our country, there are very few people who speak Chinese. If my Chinese is good, there will be a big advantage.” Huo is now the Chinese expression makes it difficult to relate to the image that he himself described two years ago that would not speak Chinese at all. And his Chinese "rely on self-study after class," because in the past two years of studying in Beijing, professional courses were taught in English.

Bilingual talents are favored

The bilingual advantages mentioned by Huo are behind multicultural backgrounds. With the development of China, it will become a plus for China and Chinese culture.

The recruiting units attending the meeting are looking at the "bilingual and bicultural" background of international students coming to China. Cheng Jiacai, deputy secretary of the Party Committee of the Overseas Education Service Center of the Ministry of Education, once talked with the participating companies. “From a business perspective, one is more interested in international talent with professional qualities. The second is that foreign students studying in China understand their national language, also understand Chinese; both familiar with the situation in the country, but also have an understanding of Chinese culture. This kind of talent with dual cultural background is exactly what the enterprise needs. From the perspective of Chinese students, many international students are also very willing to be sent by Chinese companies. Return to their own country," Cheng Jiacai said.

At the job fair, HNA Group Co., Ltd. received a lot of CVs. Some of the international students are looking at the overseas job sites they provide. “If you graduate, you can be sent back to work in your country. This is a good opportunity.”

"There are many job opportunities in China"

In addition to focusing on the overseas operations of Chinese companies, many foreign students want to leave their jobs because of "China's rapid economic development and many opportunities."

Huo is one of them. At this job fair, he gave 4 resumes to relevant units recruiting civil engineering graduates. "There are many job opportunities in China. I want to work in China for two to three years after graduation."

Shalom’s curriculum in China began six months ago. He is also willing to work in China, because “working in China is a good choice and there are many opportunities”.

The survey questionnaire issued by the first recruitment conference for overseas students held in April last year showed that of the international students attending the job fairs, the proportion of international students planning to undertake short-term internships in China reached 86.1%. The proportion of international students who wish to stay in China is as high as 95%.

Policy support to introduce talents

According to data from the Ministry of Education, as the largest foreign student destination in Asia, the number of overseas students in China has exceeded 440,000 in 2016, an increase of 35% from 2012. In addition, China continues to increase investment in Chinese government scholarships. Last year a total of nearly 50,000 students from 183 countries enjoyed Chinese government scholarships in China, an increase of 70% compared to 2012. Huo is the beneficiary of this. He was sponsored by the Chinese government scholarship to study business management at Beijing Institute of Technology.

According to data from the first recruitment conference for overseas students in China, among the international students attending the conference, students from North America and Latin America expressed that they hope that the proportion of individual entrepreneurship will reach 40%. European students in China expressed that they hope that the proportion of individual entrepreneurship exceeds 30%.