China's Quest for Foreign Technology

2

SERVE THE MOTHERLAND WHILE WORKING OVERSEAS

Andrew Spear

In the modern era, China’s drive to acquire foreign technology began in earnest on June 23, 1978 when Deng Xiaoping declared, “Thousands, or even tens of thousands, should be sent abroad rather than only a handful.… We should make every effort to speed it up and increasingly widen our path.”¹ According to China’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS), in the 40 years since (1978–2018), 5.86 million Chinese scholars went abroad to study, 4.32 million have finished their study, and 3.65 million (or 84.46 percent of all who have finished their study) have returned to China.

The focus of this chapter, however, is China’s efforts to utilize the 2.21 million Overseas Chinese ...