The following is the final 2017 budget for the PRC State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs (SAFEA). SAFEA was responsible for recruiting foreign experts, primarily scientists, to come to the PRC to contribute to China’s technological advancement. 2017 was the last full year of SAFEA’s existence; in 2018, it was eliminated in a ministry reshuffle and its functions were incorporated into the PRC Ministry of Science and Technology.
Source: PRC Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST; 科技部) website, July 20, 2018. The budget itself is dated July 2018. The Chinese source text is available online at:
https://web.archive.org/web/20200625205823/http://www.most.gov.cn/mostinfo/xinxifenlei/czyjs/201807/W020180720406915466743.pdf
US $1 ≈ 7 Chinese Yuan Renminbi (RMB), as of August 11, 2020.
Translator: Etcetera Language Group, Inc.
Editor: Ben Murphy, CSET Translation Lead
2017 Budget of the Former1 State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs
According to the 2018 Plan for Deepening the Reform of Party and Government Institutions, in order to accelerate the construction of an innovation-oriented country (创新型国家), the government will integrate the responsibilities of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) and the former State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs (SAFEA) in a reorganization of MOST. After this reorganization, the Ministry of Science and Technology will retain the name State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs when dealing with external parties. At present, MOST is actively implementing the required institutional reforms and doing a good job in reorganizing the functions of the institution.
These final accounts reflect the total income and expenditures of the former SAFEA, including income and expenses at the level of the department itself and of subordinate units for institutional operations and conducting activities to recruit brainpower from abroad (引进国外智力).
Part 1: Basic Information
I. Departmental Responsibilities
(i) Formulate plans and policies for the recruitment of brainpower from abroad, draw up drafts of relevant laws and regulations, formulate administrative measures for the recruitment of brainpower from abroad, and supervise their implementation.
(ii) Take responsibility for the examination and approval of key foreign expert recruitment plans funded by national special funding projects and organize the implementation of national key foreign expert recruitment plans.
(iii) Prepare and report out on the budget for special funding projects for the recruitment of brainpower from abroad and supervise and inspect the use of these funds. Assist in handling major events pertaining to the recruitment of brainpower from abroad.
(iv) Take responsibility for relevant international exchanges and cooperation work, establish a service system for recruiting brainpower from abroad, regulate the intermediary organizations involved in the recruitment of brainpower from abroad, and take responsibility for information management related to the recruitment of brainpower from abroad. Organize and coordinate exchanges with experts from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.
(v) Take responsibility for the management of the annual overseas training plans, take responsibility for the approval of overseas training programs funded by national special funding projects and the review of other training programs, and organize the implementation of key overseas training programs.
(vi) Undertake other matters assigned by the State Council and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.
II. Institutional Configuration
In order to carry out the preceding responsibilities, the former SAFEA set up five institutions: The General Office, the Department of Policies and Regulations, the Department of Economic and Technical Experts, the Department of Education, Science, Culture, and Health Experts, and the Department of Overseas Training Management. SAFEA has five directly affiliated units: China International Talent Exchange Center (中国国际人才交流中心), China International Talent Exchange Foundation, SAFEA Foreign Talent Information Research Center (国家外国专家局国外人才信息研究中心), Training Center of SAFEA (国家外国专家局培训中心), and Internal Service Center of SAFEA (国家外国专家局机关服务中心).