Globalization and the Brain Drain

As more than a casual observer of the globalization of technology (I type this from my hotel room in Beijing) I was amused to read the article "China hit by brain drain, report says" in the China Daily provided by the Beijing Hilton. The article made some pretty stark comments about the state of affairs:

• Since 1978, more than 70% of all Chinese who traveled abroad to study chose not to return home
• Between 1978 and 2006 about 1.06 million Chinese went to study overseas and just 275,000 returned home.
• About 300,000 people who went abroad with the initial intention of visiting relatives later enroled in higher education and stayed
• Chinese students overseas, especially those with extraordinary abilities are a real hit in the global tug of war for talent.

I guess this must be true. After all, why am I here in China? Why do I personally know five IBMers from the US who'll be working here next week?

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