Executive Summary

The relocation to China of high-profile scientists is seen as a loss to the host country and the institutions to which they were affiliated. Media commentary, however, tends to focus on the reasons why these senior figures relocate to China, leaving unanswered the question of how serious these losses to the former host actually are.

This study adopts the contrarian view that a “reverse brain drain” to China may not be the unmitigated disaster to U.S. interests that many imagine and may not be in China’s own best interest, given alternative venues by which China can benefit from its diaspora scientists working abroad. We use the term “diaspora” in the sense of “PRC-born, PRC nationality scientists who come to work and reside in the United States for some time.”

Although the loss of top talent in the United States is a cause of concern, data suggest that—celebrity cases aside—the upper strata of diaspora scientists is less likely to relocate and those who do return to China may, on average, become less productive.

Overshadowing the question is the issue of technology transfer that potentially occurs when diaspora scientists interact with PRC colleagues through previously established professional relationships, venues promoted by China, or from a natural inclination to collaborate with the scientific community of a rising nation. These circumstances are evidenced in the career of Gao Huajian, a recent returnee to China, whose interactions with China while living abroad are described here.

The study concludes with proposals meant to encourage foreign talent to remain in the United States, while hedging against the practical reality that these losses are likely to continue.