Green Cards and Brain Drains

Are you are foreigner, living in China? Have you mastered two out of the four tones? Learned love gulping hot water on a sizzling summer evening? Are you dreaming of settling down here?
Well, fantasize no more! It’s time to wake up and smell the Baijiu! Your Chinese green card may be lurking just around the corner.
Why, yes! China’s leadership have vowed to relax the requirements and ease the application process for  its  permanent residence permit.
On Tuesday the 15th of September, China’s key decision-making institution known as the Central Leading Group for Deepening Overall Reform (indeed, a rather eloquent name), professed that “China will manage foreigners’ permanent residence in a reasonable, open and pragmatic manner.” The permit bestows foreigners with the same rights as Chinese nationals on matters including investment, property purchases and education.               The decision was made in order to attract more foreign talent and investment to the nation.
At present, obtaining a Chinese green card is a notoriously difficult feat. In fact, in 2013, merely 4,900 foreigners living in China had successfully gained the golden ticket.
A great part of the challenge lies in the extremely selective requirements that are demanded. In order to qualify under the present rules, a candidate must meet one of the following for standards:
1. Be a ‘top talent’. No, this, unfortunately, does not refer to contestants on ‘The Voice of China’ ( though, to be fair, it really should). Instead, China Daily claims that this refers  to individuals working for “seven types of companies or institutions, including national laboratories, engineering research centers, technology centers at state-accredited high-tech companies and foreign-funded research and development centers.”
2. Be a big-time foreign investor. It’s time to spin some cheddar!
3. Rather vaguely, make an ‘outstanding contribution.’(Hmm, does being able to burp the alphabet count?)
4． Marry a Chinese national. Now, those lonely singletons out there need not fret! Just apply for a stint on China’s widely cherished dating show Feichang Wu Rao(非诚勿扰)! Statically-speaking, you may actually be more likely to get on the show than get the green card.
On top of that, even further requirements apply, including proof of an impeccable tax record and four years of work experience in the Middle Kingdom.
One the one hand, some of China’s expats has been very receptive to the news.
“ In Shanghai, it’s a big deal,” a European friend, who lives in the  Chinese financial hub, expresses. “Many foreigners would want this. Many have started companies, invested in properties etc. while still working on a [permanent residence] permit.”
After all, in its 2014 study, HSBC did highlight the country as the third most sought-after destination for expatriates (just behind Singapore and Switzerland). Unsurprisingly, one of the biggest enticements for foreigners to make the  move  to China, lies in the potential sky-high financial rewards. CNN points out that almost 25% of “expats make more than $300,000 in annual salary, the highest proportion of any country.”
Nonetheless,  the vast majority of China’s expatriate community do not appear in a great rush to get their hands on the green card.
“ As long as China remains a relatively undesirable place to live [this is] not a big deal” bluntly states a Western friend.
For many, the promise of extravagant pay packages and the glitz and glamour of the expat lifestyle  pale in the comparison to China’s health hazards. There are mounting concerns about  soil, water and pollution, as well as  stomach-churning food scandals, such as the forty year old ‘zombie’ meat. Needless to say, these issues are especially worrisome for expat parents – who already have to contend with outrageously expensive international school fees.
“Who would want that?” a Cantonese contact mocks the very notion of the green card.
The fact that someone would candidly admit that their own motherland is not an attractive place to settle down seems both startling and somewhat sad, however, this view is increasingly held by many Chinese.
In fact, the number of Chinese nationals endeavoring to relocate somewhere overseas vastly eclipses that of foreigners moving to China. In 2013, there were 848,000 foreigners living in China, whereas 8.5 million Chinese people had moved to another country. Furthermore, The Wall Street Journal notes that a 2014 survey’s findings  that “64% of China’s rich—defined as those with assets of more than $1.6 million—are either emigrating or planning to.”
Triggers behind the trend include health, economic and education concerns. CNN also cites China’s anti-corruption campaign as a factor, pointing out that “ Guilty or not, some are wondering if they could be the campaign’s next targets — and rather than linger to find out, they’re transporting themselves, their families and their gains out of China.”                                                                                                                                                               Amongst those participating in the epic exodus are not only some of China’s most affluent individuals, but also some of its most brilliant professionals, such as engineers and scientists. As a consequence, the country’s talent pool is shrinking. In 2014, Wang Huiyao, the director of The Center for China & Globalization, told CNN that whilst the “U.S. is selecting talent from 7.9 billion people,  [China is] from only 1.3 billion.”
Without a doubt, this phenomenon, known as China’s ‘wealth and brain drain,’ cannot be advantageous towards the country’s economic development. It’s easy to put two and two together, and figure out why China will relax its green card requirements in a bid to attract foreign talent by easing its green card access. Undoubtedly, it would be far more beneficial to put in greater effort in eradicating the factors – like pollution and contaminated food – which deter foreigners from settling down here.  Of course, this is much easier said than done.