BEIJING - China will make efforts to recruit more high-caliber talents from overseas, according to comments by an official on Tuesday.

Zhang Jianguo, general director of the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, pledged to employ more market-oriented measures, including cooperation with high-level expert associations and headhunting firms, in recruiting the experts.

A government-funded program has recruited 94 experts from overseas to help China’s economic and social development, Zhang said at a work conference.

The recruited professionals will mainly bring into play their expertise in the fields of engineering materials, bioscience and information science, the official said

Initiated in August 2011, the 10-year program aims to recruit 500 to 1,000 overseas high-caliber experts, focusing on the nation’s needs in important industries and key areas.

Each of the selected experts will be offered a subsidy of one million yuan ($160,000) to cover their living expenses, and another subsidy of three to five million yuan will be provided for their scientific research.