China plans to recruit 10,000 college graduates to serve in the country's western ethnic regions this year.

"In accordance with the instructions to encourage young people to work in places where they are most needed, we should make the campaign most effective and influential," said Zhou Changkui, a senior official with the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of China (CYLC).

Zhou made the remarks on Tuesday at a meeting on the voluntary campaign for college graduates to serve in the western regions.

According to the statement released after the meeting, this year's volunteers can apply to serve in seven categories: basic education, agricultural technology, health care, grassroots youth work, grassroots social management, and providing services in Xinjiang and Tibet.

The government is planning to increase subsidies for volunteers who work in demanding and far-off regions, said the statement, adding that favorable policies in civil service enrollment and other fields were also under consideration.

Students can apply for the program from April 19 to May 15.

The meeting was jointly held by the CYLC Central Committee, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.