Country's modernization drive offers an exceptional platform and unprecedented opportunities for more overseas talent

The world has entered the era of the knowledge economy and, as the key strategic resource for national development, talent is playing an increasingly vital role. For example, today, the use of computers to create wealth and value signals a major change in mankind's mode of working. Wealth and value were first created from the soil, then in factories, later in banks and now via the Internet and computers. This marks significant human progress.

US journalist and author Thomas Friedman has said that in the era of the knowledge economy, the world is flat. The most fundamental characteristic of this era is the transnational flow and internationalization of talent. According to statistics from the United Nations, the number of people who currently live and work outside their native countries exceeds 200 million, and this number is increasing by three percent each year. This global flow of talent offers fresh hope for undertaking key science and technology projects, as well as for tackling existing global challenges. The Human Genome Project is an outstanding example of this. Hailed as one of the three major scientific undertakings of the 20th century, the project was jointly completed by scientists from the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan and China.