Wuxi Ranks in Top 10 of Foreign Talent Attraction Index for Large and Medium-Sized Cities

In December 2025, the Foreign Talent Research Center of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security of the People's Republic of China released the 2024 "Amazing China – The Most Attractive Chinese Cities in the Eyes of Foreign Talents" series of rankings. Among them, the newly established "Foreign Talent Attraction Index for Large and Medium-Sized Cities" saw Wuxi enter the top 10, alongside Haikou, Zhuhai, Changzhou and other cities. Wuxi's speed and efficiency have left a strong "sense of experience" on foreign talents.

"While others compete on GDP, Wuxi competes on 'life processing speed'." A representative from the Wuxi Municipal Talent Service Center summed it up in one sentence: Wuxi has maxed out both of the hardcore indicators that foreign talents value most – "career development" and "quality of life." In March 2025, Wuxi rolled out a major initiative – the "Ten Measures to Facilitate the Entry and Stay of Foreign Nationals in Wuxi" – offering a one-stop package covering six areas: visas, healthcare, education, payment, government affairs and travel. The measures were upgraded in June, when the province's first social security card integrated with a foreigner's work permit was launched, enabling foreign talents to use one card for medical treatment, subway rides and pension collection – all in one go. Dr. Han Jie, founder of Sunvou Medical, verified the efficiency firsthand: "I moved into a talent apartment on the day I arrived, and got the lab keys the next day. What would take three months in Silicon Valley took just three days in Wuxi."

"It's not that returning overseas talents have become more easy-going; it's that this place is genuinely appealing." Xu Jie, marketing vice president of Sunvou Medical, relocated to Wuxi from Singapore in 2013 and has stayed for 12 years. He now holds China's "Five-Star Card" (permanent residence) and has enrolled his two children directly into Wuxi public schools. "Salaries like those in first-tier cities, housing prices like those in second-tier cities, and traffic jams like those in third-tier cities – it's just right," he said with a smile.

Behind the ranking is Wuxi's solid industrial foundation. Three landmark industries – biomedicine, integrated circuits, and the Internet of Things (IoT) – have created a "full upstream–downstream stage" for foreign talents. Situated at the core of the Yangtze River Delta, Wuxi is 20 minutes by high-speed rail from Suzhou and 45 minutes from Shanghai, turning "dual-city life" into "same-city commuting."

An official familiar with the matter said that Wuxi will next launch "N number of finely tailored perks" in areas such as social security, healthcare and finance. "The goal is simple – make foreigners reluctant to leave once they arrive, and eager to return once they leave."

Source: Yangtse Evening Post

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