(Photo/Chinanews.com)

An increasing number of cities in China are joining the competition to win more talents by rolling out attractive policies, including large research grants and housing subsidies.

Statistics indicate that by Feb. 18, more than 16 cities in China had introduced preferential policies on household registration to attract talents.

Haikou, in south China’s Hainan Province, relaxed restrictions on household registration in both educational background and age. Fresh graduates from colleges and vocational schools and those under 55 years old with a bachelor’s degree can now apply for a household registration in the city.

Xi’an, in northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, promised to provide household registration for college students, without restrictions on those with a bachelor’s degree.

Guangzhou in south China’s Guangdong Province, a first-tier city, also issued a new round of policies, lifting the age for those with a bachelor’s, master’s and doctor’s degree applying for a household registration in the city to 40, 45 and 50 years old, respectively. Fresh college students can now directly obtain household registrations.

Similar campaigns to lure talents have appeared in third- and fourth-tier cities, and even county-level cities.

For example, Bozhou in east China’s Anhui Province promised to grant resettlement allowances of up to 800,000 yuan.

Moreover, Zhenjiang in east China’s Jiangsu Province confirmed housing subsidies of 150,000 to 200,000 yuan for those holding a master’s or doctorate degree.

Ninghai County in east China’s Zhejiang Province also vowed to award research grants of up to 100 million yuan for top-notch teams.

Demographic problems in China such as its aging population and low birthrate are behind this competition for talent, said Yang Yansui, director of Tsinghua Center for Employment and Social Security.

Chen Qiulin, director of the Institute for Population and Labor Economics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that urbanization is another reason.

Despite preferential policies to lure talents, the key is to retain these talents, Chen added. To do so, local governments should provide better public services including healthcare, education, and transportation while ensuring economic strength.