The Eighth Guangzhou Science and Technology Exchange Fair for Chinese Overseas Students, to be held Dec. 28, will offer 10,000 openings, the organizers said.

Lin Yuanhe, mayor of Guangzhou, said the three-day fair, which is being jointly staged by the capital cities of 11 provinces along with Beijing, Shanghai and the Ministry of Education, has set a higher threshold for attendees.

Job applicants at the fair are required to have master' degrees with work experience overseas, Guangzhou Vice-Mayor Gan Xin was quoted as saying in a Guangzhou Daily report yesterday.

The country's 100 top universities are offering openings at the fair. According to Lin, Guangzhou will continue last year's practice of offering some scientific projects to applicants for providing solutions. The city has set aside 210 million yuan (US$2.59 million) for 13 projects.

A growing number of Chinese students have returned from abroad and contributed to the development of Guangzhou's high-tech sector in recent years, according to Lin. The city will continue its efforts to offer excellent working conditions for them.

A larger number of returnees from the United States, Canada, Britain, Japan and Germany will join the fair.

Unlike previous fair, forums and seminars will not be organized during the fair, as "the forums and seminars had diverted the visitors and lowered the quality of the fair," according to Lin.

Editor: Donald