Cultivating talent

If China searches for innovative research talent the way it finds promising athletes, it will be as successful as it is in competitive sports. That was what some of the top scientists and educationists from across the Pacific told their Chinese counterparts at a recent symposium on computer science.

That comment reportedly brought forth "understanding smiles and deliberation." We are not in a position to tell whether it was out of appreciation of the way athletes are being cultivated here or pity that scientific talent has not enjoyed similar emphasis, or a little bit of both. Yet we are sure things would be a lot different should the authorities be as serious about scientific talent as about athletic achievers.

This may sound unfair to some. After all, we have seen rounds of attempts to win over smart brains from all over the world. All we can conclude from that is that the severe thirst for talent has not disappeared. And, the offers are usually lucrative.