China's central government expressed gratitude Thursday to experts from west and northeast China and those working in industrial and service sectors for their great contributions to the country's development.

Zeng Qinghong, state vice president and member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Political Bureau, made this remark when meeting with a group of experts in Beidaihe in north China's Hebei Province.

The CPC Central Committee and State Council invited these experts to spend their summer holidays in the well-known summer resort Beidaihe as a way to reward outstanding intellectuals.

Zeng said that experts and intellectuals should put the nation's interests as their top concern and make further contributions to the development of western and northeastern areas. In this way they can help realize moderate prosperity in the country and the revitalization of the Chinese nation, he said.

He also stressed the importance of talents, saying that they are the key factors for the nation's development and the government will work hard to train more talents and experts in various fields to promote the country's development.

Vice-Premier Huang Ju and other officials from the central government also attended the meeting.

(People's Daily August 5, 2004)