High-tech zone hits the US talent trail

Chengdu is taking its IT recruitment activities into the global marketplace in a drive to become a leading innovation center

Chengdu High-tech Industrial Development Zone, one of China's top High-tech zones in Southwest China's Sichuan province, wants to introduce more high-end talents from overseas for its future development.

The zone held a talent recruitment event in California's Silicon Valley in late September. Five companies in the High-tech zone attracted some 200 interviewees from North America, mainly in the field of information technology.

The companies were Changhong, ThoughtWorks, Camera 360, Skymoons, and Idealsee, most of which are outstanding IT companies at the Chengdu Tianfu Software Park in CDHT.

The recruitment event, called Chengdu Tianfu Talent Recruitment and Silicon Valley Stop, was the first overseas talent recruitment activity organized by CDHT.

Tang Mengchen, who was born in Sichuan, finished her undergraduate study in the United States and now works in San Francisco, came to the event with several friends from Chengdu.

"We all care about the development of our hometown, and we have been thinking about going back home and contributing to it," Tang said. "Chengdu High-tech zone provides us with an excellent opportunities as it attracts so many first-class companies."

About 20 students from the University of California, Berkeley also went to the event.

Li Yin, a representative of a Chinese student association at the university, said the students were eager to get to learn about the employment policies and human resources market in China.

"China is full of opportunities and is appealing to us," Li said. "This activity offers us detailed information about the employment environment in China and especially in Chengdu High-tech zone, which gives us more confidence (about working in China)."

Barry Chang, mayor of Cupertino, California, where Apple Inc has its headquarters, said Chengdu has been developing quickly in recent years, while Chengdu High-tech zone has become a shining star in IT.

He said he looks forward to further cooperation between Cupertino and Chengdu.

Zhu Qingping, consul at the Chinese consulate in San Francisco, said he believes that Chengdu Tianfu Software Park will become the Silicon Valley of the East.

"The Tianfu Software Park is a leading science park in China in terms of infrastructure, preferential policies and services, while Silicon Valley is the world's center of innovation," he said. "There is great potential for cooperation between the Bay Area and Chengdu Hihg-tech zone."

Lin Shengheng, founder of the Northern California Chinese Coalition, said he was impressed by the talent recruitment event.

"Although it's the first time Chengdu High-tech zone and Tianfu Software Park have come to the United States to recruit talent, the event attracted many top personnel, which demonstrated their appeal," he said.

The delegation also visited the world's leading incubator, Plug and Play, and leading high-tech companies, including Google and Tesla.

Xu Junru, chairman of Chengdu Tianfu Software Park, said the park also strengthened the development of its US work station through the recruitment event.

According to Xu, the annual event will work as a gateway for Chengdu High-tech zone to enhance communication and exchanges with the world's leading high-tech industries and top-level talents, and to help the high-tech zone bring in more projects and professionals from the US.

The Chengdu Tianfu Talent Recruitment activity has been held since 2007 in cities such as Chengdu, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Dalian.

More than 100 social recruitment and campus recruitment fairs are held each year, attracting 100,000 people annually and recruiting more than 8,000 of them for companies in the zone.

Xu said the Silicon Valley Stop is just the beginning of the overseas recruitment activities Chengdu Tianfu Talent Recruitment has planed.

"We will recruit a large number of high-level technological experts with an international vision from North America, Europe and Asia, to boost the development of the IT industry in Chengdu High-tech zone," she said.

The next overseas talent recruitment event will be held in Seoul.

More work stations will also be set up overseas to aid in future holding of talent recruitment events, Xu said.

"Chengdu High-tech zone is targeted to become a globally leading high-tech park and an international innovation and entrepreneurship center," she said. "This means we must treat industrial development and talent recruitment with a more global vision, and be passionate about attracting global talents." Xu said Chengdu High-tech zone will provide high-level overseas talents with one-stop service to meet their needs and help them better blend in with work arrangements and the local lifestyle.

zhuanti@chinadaily.com.cn

The talent recruitment event in California's Silicon Valley is the first overseas talent recruitment activity organized by the Chengdu High-tech Industrial Development Zone. Photos Provided To China Daily

Xu Junru (left), chairman of Chengdu Tianfu Software Park, talks about recruitment plans with Yu Guoliang, general manager of Lietou.com's US branch at the talent event in Silicon Valley.

Five companies in the zone attracted some 200 interviewees from North America.

(China Daily USA 11/03/2016 page15)