Shanghai, Chinese economic powerhouse, will beef up efforts to draw quality professionals from abroad as part of a new human resource plan for this year, Tuesday's China Daily reported.

"Shanghai is striving to shape itself into a world-class cosmopolis, and for this human resources are crucial," Director of the Shanghai Municipal Personnel Bureau Ding Xuexiang was quoted as saying.

He said top-notch overseas professionals have already shown how useful they have been in modernizing Shanghai and making it an international city, which would continue absorbing more and more talents.

Under the latest local government plan, there will be 50 major infrastructure projects and developments in pillar industries.

The bureau is currently working with other organizations to pin down the exact number of professionals needed to complete the 50 projects, said the English newspaper.

Wang Anshun, deputy Party secretary of Shanghai, said they are planning to launch a global recruitment campaign for competent overseas staff.

The bureau has so far set up a liaison office in Britain, Germany and Australia. They are particularly interested in overseas Chinese who would like to start their own businesses in the city.

"We are now building up liaison offices in the United States, Canada, Russia and other developed countries and regions for the same purpose," Ding said.

In latest statistics from the Shanghai Municipal Personnel Bureau, 4,805 first-class overseas professionals and 1,287 quality Hong Kong professionals were drawn to work in the city in 2004.

The Shanghai Administrative Center for Employment of Foreigners under the Shanghai Municipal Labor and Social Security Bureau said that in 2004, the numbers of overseas newcomers to the city reached 15,573, a 40-plus percent rise over 2003.

In the meantime, officials have revealed that the local government will improve management and service systems for overseas Chinese and foreign experts who have been working in the municipality, whether they are top-level staff or just ordinary workers.

Municipal bureaux including public security, labor and social security and taxation will offer them 24-hour services.

While absorbing more professionals with global vision, the local government will also nurture more home-grown staff with international perspectives by sending them abroad.

Ding was quoted as saying that the bureau was in talks with the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania on training officials.

The city is also in talks with the Singaporean and German governments and world-leading companies like GE, Siemens, PWC concerning human resources training programs.