A total of 110 "enterprise bases" have been set up across the country from 2004 to last year, to help Chinese returning from overseas studies start businesses.

According to the Ministry of Personnel, 275,000 Chinese people returned from overseas studies over the past five years.

The ministry itself has set up 33 bases.

In the same period, 750,000 experts from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan had been invited to work on the mainland.

Minister of Personnel Yin Weimin said China respected talent and the government would make greater efforts to promote international cooperation in professional exchanges.

Yin also said at a national conference that the Chinese government has invited more than 1.25 million foreign experts to work in the country in the past five years.

The State Council had awarded 283 foreign experts the "Friendship Award" for their contribution to China's modernization, Yin said.

Recently, China has invited over 200,000 each year to work in a wide range of areas.

(Xinhua News Agency December 17, 2007)