Shanghai unfurls the welcome mat for expatriate professionals

Shanghai is showing the world how to attract and keep hold of the best expatriate talent.

Shanghai’s expatriate community is now the largest in the vast country, with the Chinese authorities doing all they can to keep this huge talent pool to themselves. China’s astonishing opening up and reform as regards expat professionals is now a model for the rest of the world, and is increasing still further the number of new foreign entrepreneurs as a result.

The vast majority of new arrivals settle in the Gubei district’s international expat community, now home to residents from more than 50 world countries including France, Japan, the USA, the UK and South Korea. According to statistics, expatriates now account for half the entire population of the sizeable district and have been provided with a dedicated overseas affairs service centre helping with work permits, legal counsel, entries and exits and immigration matters.

According to one official, making expats’ lives easier and more convenient is the centre’s priority, and the local authority is also helping newcomers get involved with local life by providing charitable, cultural and professional governance activities. Pudong New Area’s Biyun expat community is one of the district’s most popular, attracting many new international arrivals to join the 7,000 expat residents.

Research by local media has resulted in many expat respondents saying they love their new lives and their new communities as well as the convenience of being walking distance from stores, the metro and markets. The safety of the area is another cause for praise, especially for those with young families, and making new friends is easy and rewarding. The vast majority of expat residents simply don’t want to go home, and even the cultural differences are seen as fascinating rather than confusing.