Regional disparity in attracting foreign talent to China is highlighted by survey results released on Wednesday showing that inland areas have a long way to go in attracting professionals from overseas.
All 10 of the cities considered the most attractive by expatriates are in eastern China, the survey shows.
The top 10 comprises Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Xiamen, Nanjing, Suzhou, Hangzhou and Qingdao, according to the survey.
It was conducted by the Beijing magazine International Talent Monthly and the China Association for International Exchange of Personnel.
In the previous two surveys in 2011 and 2012, cities in eastern China also topped the list.
About 72,000 expatriates and English-speakers took part in this year's survey through questionnaires or by voting on the China Daily website.
Of the eight cities recognized by respondents as having high potential to become the most attractive for foreigners in China, only three are in central or western areas - Changsha, Chongqing and Chengdu.
William Brown, who started teaching at Xiamen University in the late 1980s and received a Chinese "green card" in 1992, said: "Some (Chinese) cities are simply too remote for many foreigners.
"However, the western development programs are rapidly giving inland provinces easy access to the rest of China and the world."
Robin Wales, mayor of Newham, a borough in east London, said he believes it is important for Chinese cities to conduct research to understand their strengths and weaknesses and to try to lure global talent through their unique identities.
"If you want to attract talent, you need to offer something unique," he said.
Shanghai beat 29 rival cities in the survey with the highest recognition in terms of working and living environment, an expatriate-friendly policy, and administrative capacity.
Stuart Dunn, a Briton who has lived in Shanghai for four years, said it is an attractive place, with a very low crime rate and reasonable cost of living compared with major cities in the West.
"Shanghai has great arrangements for sports events, and the entertainment and social life here are exciting. It's not only a center for business, but also for culture and fun," said Dunn, who manages a bar chain.
He said he lived in the Middle East before coming to Shanghai and believes China offers more cultural diversity.
Although Shanghai and Beijing scored the highest points overall, they scored the lowest on environment.
Beijing was shrouded in severe smog for weeks early this year, with pollutants from vehicle emissions, coal- burning in neighboring regions and construction dust.
The serious pollution raised public awareness and prompted the government to take emergency measures.
Jon Michael Davis, president and chief executive officer of the National Institute of Clean-and-Low-Carbon Energy, said he chose Beijing as his favorite Chinese city for its robust business and culture.
About 550,000 foreigners were working in China last year, the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs says.
A survey released in October by HSBC that polled 7,000 expatriates in 37 countries and regions found that China is the favorite destination for expatriates this year.
Despite the economic slowdown, this survey shows China has strong appeal for career-minded expatriates, with nearly 70 percent of respondents saying they moved to the country for better job opportunities.
In the survey results released on Wednesday, respondents who answered questionnaires to choose the most attractive Chinese cities to work in, said problems such as children's education, medical care and visa policies make it difficult for them to work in China for the long term.
Some also said they want to see more expatriate-friendly policies to help them better integrate into Chinese society, such as pension programs and housing benefits for foreigners.
Philipp Khaytovich, who took part in the survey, said: "There is no retirement plan or obligatory medical care for foreigners paid for by their employers. There are no housing benefits, such as low-interest housing loans, available to foreigners."
Khaytovich, who works for the Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, suggested that China should allow foreigners who have worked in the country for more than three years to enjoy the same social and economic benefits as local residents.
"The easiest way would be to make the hukou (housing registration) system open to long-term foreign residents, based on their education and work value," he said.
11月6日发布的一项调查结果表明，在吸引外籍人才来华方面，区域差异较为显著，内陆地区在吸引海外专业人才上还有很长一段路要走。
调查显示，最吸引外籍雇员的十大城市都位于中国东部。
根据这项调查，前十位包括上海、北京、天津、广州、深圳、厦门、南京、苏州、杭州和青岛。
这项调查是由北京杂志《国际人才交流》月刊和中国国际人才交流协会共同进行的。
在之前的2011年和2012年的调查中，位居榜单前列也是中国的东部城市。
约有72000名外籍雇员和讲英语的人士参加了今年中国日报的网上问卷投票。
在调查对象看来，有很大潜力成为中国最吸引外国人的八个城市中，只有三个位于中西部地区——长沙、重庆和成都。
威廉•布朗从20世纪80年代开始就在厦门大学教学并于1992年获得中国绿卡，他说，“一些中国城市对很多外国人来说只是太偏远了。”
“但是，西部大开发项目的实施正迅速使内陆省份能够更容易地与中国其他地方和世界交流。”
伦敦东部纽汉区的区长罗宾•威尔斯说，他认为中国城市应该研究各自的优势和劣势，通过自己的特性来吸引全球人才。
他说，“你必须提供一些独特优势来吸引人才。”
这次调查中，上海击败了29个竞争城市，在工作生活环境、外籍雇员政策优惠和行政能力方面被公认为是最好的。
斯图尔特•邓恩是一个在上海生活了四年的英国人，他认为上海是一个极具吸引力的城市，与西方的大城市相比，犯罪率很低，生活成本也较为合理。
邓恩经营着一个连锁酒吧，他说，“上海安排了很多体育赛事，娱乐和社会生活都很精彩，这里不仅是一个商业中心，也是一个文化娱乐中心。”
他说在来上海之前他在中东生活，他认为中国的文化更多样。
尽管上海和北京的总分最高，但是在环境方面这两个城市得分最低。
由于汽车尾气排放，周围地区煤炭的燃烧以及建筑灰尘所造成的污染物，今年早些时候北京一度几周都笼罩在严重的雾霾当中。
严重的污染引起了公众的关注，并推动政府采取了紧急措施。
北京清洁低碳能源研究所的所长兼首席执行官约翰•迈克•戴维斯表示，他之所以选择北京作为他最喜欢的中国城市，是因为北京强健的商业和文化。
国家外国专家局称，去年约有55万名外国人在中国工作。
汇丰银行十月发布的一份由37个国家和地区的7000名外派雇员参与投票的调查发现，今年中国是外派雇员最想前往工作的国家。
尽管经济发展有所放缓，调查显示中国对于事业心强的外派雇员来说还是具有很强的吸引力，接近70%的调查对象说他们来到中国是为了更好的工作机遇。
这份调查结果显示，参与最想在哪个中国城市工作问卷调查的人说，一些如子女教育、医疗护理和签证政策这样的问题，使他们很难在中国长期工作。
一些人也表示，他们希望有更多针对外派雇员的友好政策来帮助他们更好的融入中国社会，比如说针对外国人的退休金项目和住房补贴。
参与调查的Philipp Khaytovich说，“外籍雇员的雇主们并没有为他们提供任何退休保障，也没有支付强制医疗。”
Khaytovich在上海生命科学研究院任职，他建议中国应当允许在中国工作三年以上的外国人享受和当地居民一样的社会经济福利。
他说，“最简便的方式是根据教育和工作价值，向长期居住在中国的外国人开放户口系统。”