Entrepreneur finds success in Chaoyang

Ahmadzai Abdul Wahed, a 26-year-old entrepreneur from Afghanistan, has been in China for seven years. In March, he founded his company Wuxiangang Culture and Technology, known as NHUB, in Beijing's Chao­yang district with the help of the Overseas Talent Entrepreneurship Conference.

The company is committed to facilitating cooperation between Chinese and overseas businesses and offering numerous services to foreigners in China.

When studying at the University of International Business and Economics, Wahed found many international students were willing to start their career in China but failed due to language barriers or confusion about local policies.

In 2018, he set up an alumnus business club at UIBE to help international students land a job in Beijing. more than 500 foreigners have secured a job or an internship through the club, he said.

Wahed also participated in OTEC 2020, an annual event organized by Chaoyang district in Beijing to support overseas entrepreneurs. As a result, he received the excellent project award during Global Innovation Week, an activity of OTEC 2020.

In the same year, when Wahed was informed that the capital was approved as the China (Beijing) Pilot Free Trade Zone, a new idea came into his mind.

China is increasingly opening up and full of opportunities, Wahed said, so he decided to establish a platform rendering assistance to international students and foreign companies that are seeking access to the Chinese market.

To hasten the development of the FTZ, Chaoyang district launched the Beijing CBD International Talent Port at the end of October last year. It features a comprehensive service platform and aims to attract 3,000 high-level talents and cultivate 10,000 talents every year, local officials said.

The platform provides overseas entrepreneurs with a free registration service and even a free workplace in the bustling CBD, he added.

In addition, a grant program named Phoenix Plan has been implemented for the past 12 years, attracting almost 1,000 high-level talents from home and abroad, according to the local officials.

As a part of the plan, Chaoyang district also established the Phoenix School in 2016 to offer guidance and entrepreneurship training to returnees who set up a business in China.

zhanglinwan@chinadaily.com.cn