Workshop on Talent Mobility and Integration
To mark International Migrants Day, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), in collaboration with the Center for China and Globalization (CCG) and the Alliance of Global Talent Organizations (AGTO), successfully hosted the “Talent Mobility and Integration” seminar on 17 December 2024, in Beijing. The event brought together hundreds of representatives, including policymakers, academic experts and private sector leaders, to discuss key issues and recommendations for promoting the mobility and integration of skilled talent in the context of globalization.
Labor mobility has been a driving force behind global economic growth, technological advancement, and cultural diversity. Skilled talent, as a core resource in global competition, plays a crucial role in fostering national development. Many countries have introduced policies such as revising visa systems, implementing points-based immigration schemes, and streamlining citizenship application procedures to attract foreign talent while creating open and inclusive environments to retain skilled professionals.
Coinciding with the seminar, China’s National Immigration Administration announced a comprehensive relaxation and optimization of its transit visa-free policies, effective immediately.
Ms. LI Wen, IOM Chief of Mission in China, emphasized in her opening remarks that the talent attraction and retention are key drivers of sustainable global economic development. With proper management measuares, these processes can benefit not only migrants but also contribute to the developments of both receiving and sending countries. She highlighted that the Global Compact for Migration provides a guiding framework for policy-making and practice in managing talent mobility and integration.
Ms. Mabel Lu MIAO, Co-founder and Secretary General of the Center for China and Globalization (CCG), emphasized in her remarks that diverse participation is key to addressing issues related to talent mobility. She noted that CCG, in collaboration with experts and scholars, has established the Alliance of Global Talent Organizations (AGTO), an innovative platform for international talent mobility, with the aim of contributing positively to the innovation and governance of global talent mobility.
Mr. WU Demin, Deputy Director General, Department of Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reviewed the history of talent attraction since the founding of the People’s Republic of China. He introduced a series of recent policies aimed at facilitating the work and life of foreigners in China, including the unilateral visa exemptions for 38 countries and bilateral visa exemptions for 25 countries. He highlighted that the visa exemption policy for 38 countries is not the endpoint, and China will continue to optimize related policies to support high-quality development through a higher level of openness.
Ms. LV Ning, Deputy Director General, Department of International Cooperation on Immigration Affairs, National Immigration Administration (NIA), stated that since its establishment, NIA has implemented more proactive, open, and efficient talent attraction policies. It has continuously optimized immigration management services, streamlined channels for attracting talent and expertise, and welcomed foreign professionals and outstanding international students to work and study in China. Additionally, NIA encourages exceptional Chinese talent and young professionals to participate in overseas education and academic exchanges, ensuring the free talent mobility.
The workshop focused on two key topics: talent attraction and talent retention, featuring interactive discussions.
In the first panel discussion, Ms. XU Xiaohong, Deputy Director of the Residence Management Division, Department of Foreigners Administration, NIA; Mr. HUANG Yang, Senior Economist, World Bank; Ms. ZHANG Yiming, Director of Big Data and Policy Simulation Research Division, China Academy of Labor and Social Security; Mr. QU Wenge, General Manager, CIIC Global International Human Resources Co., Ltd.; Mr. Ian CHEW, Founder & CEO, Greenie Web; Mr. John ZHAO, Director of External Relations, Manager of Global Young Leaders Dialogue program, CCG, Director of Department of Liaison, AGTO; Ms. Sunny SUN, Vice-Chair of EU HR Forum, MD of Bernard Controls China shared insights from various perspectives. They discussed talent introduction policies, international talent cooperation practices, the impact of digitalization on talent mobility, and how to make talent mobility more sustainable and beneficial for both countries of origin and destination. Valuable recommendations were put forward during the discussion. The panel was moderated by Ms. Geertrui LANNEAU, Senior Regional Specialist on Labour Mobility and Social Inclusion, IOM Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.
The second panel discussion on talent retention included Ms. GUO Ruijun, Deputy Director, Exit-Entry Administration Bureau, Beijing Public Security Bureau; Mr. LIU Bin, Deputy Director, Liaison Division, Migration Affairs Service Center, NIA; Ms. Roberta LIPSON, Founder of United Family Healthcare and Vice Chair of New Frontier Health, Chairman of the Board of Governors, AmCham-China; Mr. GUO Shize, CEO of Yingzhong Overseas Consulting, Founding Partner at Yingzhong Law Offices, P.C.; Mr. LIU Guofu, Professor, Beijing Institute of Technology; Mr. Wahed AHMADZAI, Founder of nHUB, Secretary General of the Alumni Talent Alliance (ATA), and Director of International Affairs at ITEC; Ms. Myriam Abiyera MWIZERWA, Head of Sub-Office of IOM, Hong Kong S.A.R., China. The panel explored ways to create inclusive environments through whole-of-society participation, helping talent integrate into host societies and achieve mutual benefits. This discussion was moderated by Mr. Mike LIU, Vice President, CCG.
Finally, Ms. Julia ZHENG, Vice President, CCG, and Ms. LI Wen delivered closing remarks. They further called on all stakeholders to strengthen cooperation in the fields of talent mobility and integration, to promote alignment between policies and practices, and ensure that talent mobility benefits all parties involved.
