1. These returnees include Charles Zhang, founder and CEO of Sohu.com, China’s premier online brand and Internet portal; Edward Tian, head of China Netcom, the country’s second–largest fixed–line carrier; Robin Li, CEO of Baidu, the leading Chinese language search engine. ‘‘Returnees are a force to reckon with in every significant area,’’ says Jeff Huang, an entrepreneur who spent more than 10 years in the US before setting up his own cross–border merger and acquisitions advisory firm, Chisurf Ltd, in Beijing. ‘‘All major financial institutions, like the central bank and the securities regulatory commission, are full of overseas educated personnel,’’ he says, adding, ‘‘These people have practical experience in the US and they come back to try and shape the future system and policy here from within, bringing best practices with them.’’ Besides, Chinese universities are spending vast sums wooing academics with foreign PhDs.