Wan Xueyuan, head of the State Administration of Foreign Experts
Affairs (SAFEA), said at the opening ceremony of the 2004
Conference on International Exchange of Professionals that China
will send more professionals to be trained abroad and invite more
foreign experts here to implement the country's strategy to
increase strength through human talent.
The two-day SAFEA-sponsored conference started Sunday in
Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu
Province.
Wan said that Premier Wen Jiabao's recent emphasis on building
the country with an abundance of professionals presents new
opportunities to SAFEA. Wen made the remarks in his official work
report to the National People's Congress earlier this month.
"We will strengthen efforts to send government professionals,
enterprise managers and experts in certain fields to training
programs abroad and introduce overseas talent in the country's
western provinces and the northeastern industrial base," Wen
said.
In the coming years, the administration will also provide
services to enterprises, including those in the private sector.
Private enterprises participated in the fair for the first
time.
The conference, which was first held in 2001, is a platform for
organizations, institutions and universities in China and for
foreign professional organizations.
Some 240 foreign professional exchange groups from more than 30
countries are attending this year's conference.
So far, SAFEA has approved 332 professional organizations
overseas to conduct international professional exchanges in
China.
The conference opened a new special section this year for
Chinese professionals who are returning from abroad after years of
study to find jobs at home.
Nearly 250 large and medium-sized enterprises and universities
have so far provided a total of 4,000 jobs for returnees,
attracting 3,000 professionals.
(China Daily March 29, 2004)