The delegation includes representatives from the Pudong New District Government and 38 large firms and research organizations, covering finance, insurance, information technology and bio-engineering, said a source from the Pudong New District Government.

The Pudong Development Bank is making a top employment offer of 1.2 million yuan (145,000 U.S. dollars) per year.

The minimum offer from the delegation, which is around 200,000 yuan (24,000 U.S. dollars), is also much higher than the average income in China.

"For the first time in history, the Pudong New District Government has decided to recruit Chinese students from overseas to work as public servants by offering high incomes," said an official from the district government.

The delegation received a warm welcome in North America long before they left China. Recruitment centers in Boston, San Francisco, Vancouver and Toronto have received numerous phone calls from applicants. The Pudong New District Government has received over 100 applications on its website.

In addition to personnel recruitment, the delegation also aims to promote Pudong's human resources strategy and investment environment, invest in some high-tech projects initiated by overseas Chinese students and establish long-term cooperative ties with them.

Experts here predict Pudong will need 340,000 employees by 2005, particularly senior professionals in the tertiary industry, in communication, transportation, commerce, trade, finance and insurance sectors.

(Xinhua News Agency April 26, 2002)