How China attracts scientific elites back home

A nuclear physicist from Princeton University, a mechanical engineer who worked with NASA on space manufacturing, a neuroscientist from the US National Institutes of Health , famous mathematicians, and dozens of AI experts... the list of scientists who have left the US to work in China is getting longer and longer, and they are all famous names.

Scientists work at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Tianjin. (Photo: Xinhua)

According to CNN statistics, at least 85 young and veteran scientists working in the US have moved to Chinese research institutes on a full-time basis since the beginning of last year, of which more than half made the decision in 2025. Observers assess that this trend will expand as the US government cuts research budgets and tightens regulations on foreign talent, while Beijing increases investment in domestic innovation.

Most of these scientists are part of a wave of “reverse brain drain,” raising questions about America’s long-term ability to attract and retain the world’s leading research workforce that has helped the country maintain its position as the number one power in science and technology since World War II.

This development could directly affect the competition between Washington and Beijing for dominance in future-shaping technology areas such as AI, quantum computing, semiconductors, biotechnology and smart military equipment.

For many years, China has continuously implemented programs to attract international talent, especially Chinese researchers who have studied abroad and become prominent scientists in the US.

The effort is all the more important as the US maintains tight controls on technology and Chinese President Xi Jinping insists that innovation is the only way to ensure economic security.

The Trump administration's moves, such as sharply cutting research budgets, increasing oversight of scientific activities, raising H-1B visa fees, and using the federal budget to pressure universities, are seen as "giving additional impetus" to China.

Professor Yu Xie (Princeton University) said that Chinese universities see the changes in the US as “a gift from Mr. Trump”, helping them access more high-quality talent.

“In the coming time, we will see many new research and training programs being opened, strengthened and developed across China,” he said.

High-tech resource brokers also see this trend as creating more candidates for Chinese government funding programs, especially in the semiconductor industry.

While Congress is likely to block the most egregious budget cuts, months of tightening restrictions on science and visas have been enough to create a lingering sense of uncertainty in the research community, particularly affecting scientists with ties to China, which sends more science and engineering PhD students to the United States than any other country.

The Trump administration has used Chinese student visas as a bargaining chip in trade negotiations this year, and some lawmakers have called for reviving the controversial China Initiative, a national security program that has been criticized for creating a climate of suspicion toward Chinese-American academics.

Meanwhile, China continues to attract more scientists from the US and other countries as its domestic research capacity grows. The current turmoil in the US is opening up greater opportunities for Beijing.

The People's Daily called China a “safe harbor” and “place to shine” for Chinese and overseas Chinese scholars “who are suffering from the reckless interference of some Western countries.”

"Roll out the red carpet"

Many Chinese universities are quietly contacting American scientists to invite them to work. Professor Lu Wuyuan, a protein chemist who was on the staff of the University of Maryland, said the number of applications from abroad has “spiked”.

“I know universities are doing everything they can to seize this opportunity,” Mr. Lu said, arguing that the trend of overseas-trained scientists returning to China is becoming “strong and irreversible.”

A Physics lecture at Tsinghua University, China. (Photo: Xinhua)

Some schools are recruiting more openly, such as Wuhan University, which calls for “global talent” to apply, with a commitment to research funding of up to 3 million yuan (more than 11 billion VND) for majors in AI, robotics or cybersecurity.

The packages often include priority access to research funds, bonuses, housing allowances and family support. These policies work in parallel with national funds for young talent from abroad.

Not all programs are academically oriented. The Qiming Program, for example, aims to bring top researchers into the commercial technology industry, particularly in the semiconductor field. Applicants typically need a PhD and work experience abroad.

A recruiter in Jiangsu said that demand for semiconductor talent across borders is soaring after the US tightened export controls on key chip technology. In the coming year, the focus of recruitment may expand to AI and quantum science, especially quantum communications and precision measurement.

The Chinese government has also expanded its talent attraction channels, such as the Qiming program, which has a separate selection round for candidates from the US and Europe, which experts describe as “unprecedented”.

China also announced a new K visa, effective October 1, specifically for young science and technology talents. At the same time, the National Natural Science Foundation opened another round of applications for its “outstanding young talents” funding program from abroad.

Welcome opportunities from America

For years, Washington has viewed China’s talent programs as a threat, arguing that they could facilitate technology theft. The Thousand Talents program has drawn attention when some American scientists secretly received funding or participated in research in China without fully declaring it.

The culmination of this was the 2018 China Initiative, a campaign of investigations targeting universities and researchers suspected of having dubious links to China. The campaign was accused of discrimination and was canceled in 2022.

A July 22 letter signed by more than 1,000 American faculty warned that efforts to revive the initiative would only “help China recruit talent more effectively than any program it has ever implemented.”

Professor Yu Xie's 2023 study found that after the China Initiative was enacted, the number of Chinese-origin scientists leaving the US increased by 75%, two-thirds of whom moved to work in China.

One of them is Lu Wuyuan, who left the University of Maryland for Fudan University in Shanghai in 2020 after his research was investigated by the NIH for collaborations with China. Lu said these collaborations were initially seen as mutually beneficial, but later became a source of suspicion.

Now, he fears the rivalry between the two countries is disrupting a network of scientific cooperation that has greatly benefited both the United States and China.

“Clearly, current restrictive policies have stifled mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation,” he said. “Ironically, the damage they do to the United States may be much greater, given China’s rapid rise as a science and technology powerhouse.”

China's science and technology sector has made great strides in recent years. (Photo: Getty Images)

Breakthrough achievement

China’s massive investment efforts over the past several years are helping it make a clear mark on the global science and technology map. The country brought back the first sample from the dark side of the Moon, is leading the way in renewable energy, quantum communications, and some military technologies. Start-up DeepSeek also attracted attention when it introduced a chatbot that is said to approach OpenAI’s o1 model at a much lower cost.

According to the Nature Index, Chinese scientists now publish more high-quality research than their American counterparts, and many universities are in the world's top 50.

However, experts say China still has a significant gap to surpass the US. R&D momentum may be affected by slowing economic growth and Beijing's tight regulatory environment, which is different from the open research ecosystem in the US.

Quality of life and personal freedom are also important factors for academics. More than 83% of Chinese science and engineering PhDs who graduated in the US between 2017 and 2019 chose to stay in 2023.

For scientists of non-Chinese descent, language barriers and a socialist social environment are also challenges. Some returning scientists have faced criticism on social media.

Professor Yu Hongtao, Dean of the School of Life Sciences at Westlake University, advised those considering returning “not to make the decision just because they want to leave the US, but to really see the opportunities in China,” because China also has its own unique difficulties such as cultural differences and funding mechanisms.

Still, many experts say what scientists prioritize most is a stable research environment and strong funding. Changes in the United States could shift that balance.

Professor Yau Shing-tung, a Fields Medal-winning mathematician, warned: “If American universities lose their best people, not only to China but also to Europe or other countries, it could be a disaster for the American university system.”

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Source: https://vtcnews.vn/cach-trung-quoc-thu-hut-cac-tinh-hoa-khoa-hoc-ve-nuoc-ar991733.html