河北聘请海外专家治霾

Hebei province will import 200 foreign experts to assist with 50 projects on air pollution control over the next four years, and create an industrial zone in which companies can develop solutions.

"We will attract projects and experts mainly from the United States, Britain, Germany and other developed countries," said Jing Qingyu, deputy director of the provincial human resources and social security department, at the department's annual conference on talent in Shijiazhuang earlier this month.

In the two designated zones dedicated for environmental protection work in 2017, companies will find ideal conditions for developing various projects, Jing said.

The province saw an overabundance of smog in 2013: 236 days with an air quality index worse than the national standard for good air.

In addition to a series of measures aimed at cutting polluting industries, the province plans to use foreign experts to lead a campaign against air pollution with better financial support than in the past.

Hebei plans to spend 20 million yuan ($6.2 million) for imported talent in 2017, Jing said.

To curb worsening air quality, all 11 major cities of the province will introduce programs to attract experts for environmental projects.

Zhangjiakou, Beijing's northern neighbor, has already taken a step forward. The city, generally upwind of the capital, created a zone for environmental protection industries and research centers in September.

The headquarters of the zone, a facility of 5,000 square meters, will open on April 2 to provide services for candidate companies and experts. Another 20,000 sq meters will be ready in five months, according to Song Xinwei, director of the new zone.

"We will restrict companies and institutions in the zone to those associated with high technology and technology that serves the environment," he said.

"For the imported foreign experts, each will get a signing bonus of a maximum 300,000 yuan," he said, adding that the city will be generous to motivate quality research.

If an expert's work proves valuable, he or she will get another reward of up to 5 million yuan, he said.

"We will do the most we can to guarantee clean air for the capital as well as support the bid for the Winter Olympics in 2022," he added.

Experts in Hebei have suggested that in seeking foreigners the province should focus on technical talent.

"We already possess the main technology for air pollution control, which means only experts with cutting-edge knowledge are needed," said Guo Bin, a professor at Hebei University of Science and Technology who also leads environmental protection research in Hebei.

"We need advanced models on forecasting and early warning of air pollution based on numerical calculations," he said. The current system, which is based on statistics and accumulated experience, is only at the primary stage

河北省会将聘请200名外国专家，来协助未来四年五十个项目空气污染的治理问题，并创造工业新区，使得公司自行研发解决办法。

本月初，河北省人力资源和社会保障厅副厅长景庆雨在石家庄举行的厅人才年会上说，“我们会从美国，英国，德国和其他发达国家引进项目和专家”。

景庆雨还提到，在2017年两块指定的保护环境工作地区，公司可以获得适合发展多种项目的理想条件。

河北省2013年雾霾超标：一年中有236天空气质量指标低于国家规定的优良空气质量标准。

除了一系列减少造成污染的工业措施外，河北省还计划聘请外国专家一同开展一项活动，提供比以往更多的资金支持以对抗空气污染。

景庆雨说，2017年，河北省计划投资2000万人民币（620万美元）纳聘人才。

为了抑制逐渐恶化的空气质量，河北省11个主要城市将提出项目，以吸引专家参与到保护环境的计划中。

北京北部相邻的城市张家口，已早一步付诸实践。张家口在首都上风口，已经在9月份创建了环保型工业和研发中心。

这一新开发区的总部，面积5000平方公里，将在4月2日启动，为候选公司和专家提供服务。余下的2万平方公里会在五个月后完工，新开发区的主任宋新伟告诉我们。

他说，“在新开发区内，我们对公司和机构有所限制，要吸引那些有高科技或者对保护环境有帮助的科技”。

他补充说，城市慷慨积极鼓励高质量的研发，“每一位招聘来的外国专家都会得到最多30万元的签约金”。

如果专家的工作付出十分有价值，他（她）会得到额外最多500万元的奖励。

他补充说，“我们会尽最大努力，保证首都有干净的空气，以支持2022年冬奥会申奥”。

河北的专家建议，在寻求外国专家帮助时，我们应当把重点放在技术才能方面。

河北科学技术大学教授郭斌说，“我们已经掌握了治理空气污染的主要科技，这就意味着，只有那些有突破，有尖端知识的专家才是我们需要的”。他还指导河北省环境保护调查研究。

他说，“我们需要先进的预测模式，并根据数值模拟计算提前了解到污染空气的警示”。目前的系统基于数据和经验，仅仅只是初步阶段。