Phoenix Plan rises again in Beijing with foreign startup grants

Summertime might usually be associated with holidays, but for many foreign startups based in Beijing, this is a busy period to secure funding and free legal support for their projects under an innovative grant program.

Five years ago, the Chaoyang district government in Beijing launched the Phoenix Plan, a grant program designed to help highly qualified overseas professionals and foreign startups settle in the Chinese capital.

The plan is one of the most popular grant programs for foreigners in China, having already helped more than 8,000 entrepreneurs from 19 countries in the past five years, according to Zhang Wanlin, an official from the Beijing Chaoyang Overseas Talent Center.