Senior officials with the Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Personnel attended the opening ceremony.

More than 1,200 Chinese students who are studying or have returned from the United States, Canada, Britain, Japan, Germany and other countries and overseas regions will attend the fair, bringing various projects involving bio-pharmaceutical, information technology, environmental protection, new materials and energy and other high-tech industries for cooperation.

Of all the students, 57 percent have received their doctorate or postdoctoral degrees abroad, with another 31.5 percent holding master's degrees.

Forums and seminars during the fair will help recommend the students' research achievements to over 220 domestic enterprises which are also attending the fair for their cooperation.

More and more Chinese students have returned from abroad and contributed to the development of China's high-tech sector in recent years, said Wei Yu, vice minister of education, and China will continue its efforts to offer excellent working conditions for them.

(People's Daily 12/29/2000)