China plans to hold its largest ever exhibition highlighting the achievements made by Chinese people trained overseas from Feb. 29 to March 2 in Beijing, the Ministry of Personnel said Tuesday.

The exhibition will feature 1,100 achievements made by those who returned to China from their overseas study since 1978, when China began to open up to the outside world and took to the path of sweeping economic reform.

The achievements involve technological breakthroughs in aviation, space, information technology, biological pharmaceuticals, medical appliances, new energy and new materials.

The exhibition is sponsored by the Ministry of Personnel in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Sciences and Technology, as well as the Publicity Department of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee.

A total of 700,200 Chinese studied in more than 100 countries and regions between 1978 and 2003, and 172,800 of them have returned home after graduation.

Overseas-trained Chinese professionals account for 81 percent of the members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the country's leading research institution.

Liu Baoying, an official with the Ministry of Personnel, said China will invite more outstanding Chinese trained overseas to return home to meet the country's growing need for well-trained professionals.
 
(Xinhua News Agency February 25, 2004)