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SIXTH
INTERNATIONAL METROPOLIS CONFERENCE WORKSHOP
3: Triangular Human Capital Flows between China, Hong Kong and Canada Tuesday, November 27, 2001
16:00 - 17:30
ORGANIZERS:
Don DeVoretz
Co-Director, RIIM
Simon Fraser University
8888 University Drive
Burnaby, B.C. Canada, V5A 1S6
Tel: 1-604-291 4660
Fax: 1-604-291 5336
Email: devoretz@sfu.ca Zhongdong Ma
Assistant Professor
Division of Social Science
The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology
Clear Water Bay
Kowloon, Hong Kong
Tel: 852-2358 7829
Fax: 853-2335 0014
Email: sojohnma@ust.hk Kangqing Zhang
Senior Researcher, RIIM
Simon Fraser University
8888 University Drive
Burnaby, B.C. Canada, V5A 1S6
Tel: 1-604-291 5348
Fax: 1-604-291 5336
Email: kzhang@sfu.ca WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION: The central goal of this workshop
is to describe the triangular nature of the "brain exchange"
between China/Hong Kong, Canada and the USA. Each country has a unique
perspective on the benefits or costs of this flow and the workshop will
document these views. For example, Canada as a major recipient of highly
trained Chinese immigrants often acts as an entrepot country providing
residence, settlement services and citizenship to the initial movers.
Is this good for Canada, for the sending country? How expensive are these
settlement services and does Canada earn a fair return on these activities
given that many immigrants return or move on? In a similar vein, China
is concerned that visa students to the USA and Canada are not returning
after their education. Several questions arise. How big is this loss?
When will a return flow to China begin? What are the conditions necessary
to insure a return flow? Finally, Hong Kong acts as both a sending (to
Canada and the USA) and receiving (from China) region for highly trained
Chinese nationals as well as former SAR residents. Again questions arise
with direct policy implications. What is the balance of this flow? Why
do so many Hong Kong émigrés return from Canada and not
the USA? Do these émigrés to the SAR in turn work in China?
The goal of this workshop is to answer some, if not all, of these questions. Policy Relevance: China, Canada,
and other Asian countries are currently seeking policy instruments to
attract, maintain and repatriate highly skilled residents. This workshop
will focus on immigration policies that influence the size, direction
and speed of this triangular flow. Format: My usual and highly
successful format is to have researchers prepare papers on each country's
experience in advance. Next these papers are hung on the RIIM website
for general circulation. At the session, selected policy makers critique
the papers and lead a discussion from the floor. Finally, NGO representatives,
researchers and policy makers meet in a panel to assess what we have learned
and note policy implications of the session. This panel is the mechanism
to debate best practice techniques. A note taker is used in this portion
to provide a written summary as requested by Metropolis. DURATION: One 1.5-hour session.
PARTICIPANTS: Researchers:
Don DeVoretz, RIIM, Simon Frazer University Canada
Galina Didukh, Simon Frazer
University Canada
Kangqing Zhang, RIIM, Canada
Philip Marey, University of Maastricht, The Netherlands
Zhongdong Ma, Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, Hong Kong
David Zweig, Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, Hong Kong
Policy Makers:
Chona Itturalde, Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Eden Thompson, Human Resource Development Canada
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