Talent Plans

A “Twelve-words Approach” has been in place since the 1990s. Programmes such as the Changjiang Scholars Programme or the Hundred Talents programme offer high salaries and research funds. The 2008 Thousand Talents Plan (qianren jihua) focused on four areas, namely national innovation, science and laboratories, SOEs and hi-tech parks. In 2013, Xi expanded the ‘twelve words’ policy by adding four additional words ‘fahui zuoyong’ (playing a role), pledging that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the government would ensure that the Chinese diaspora could play a significant role when returning to China, and that it could also contribute to China’s development when remaining overseas.