Top-flight professionals in a range of disciplines are being encouraged to relocate to the Beibu Bay Economic Zone in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, an official said yesterday.

Zhang Xiaoqin, mayor of Qinzhou, one of the four cities that comprise the zone, said: "Experts in the legal, finance, trade and tourism fields, as well as those with language skills are most in demand."

Zhang, who has helped organize the China-ASEAN Expo on four occasions, said people with experience working in communications with Southeast Asian countries were also much sought after.

The demand for senior personnel follows the recent announcement by the State Council of the Beibu Bay Economic Zone Development Plan, which will form part of the national development strategy.

With 1,600 km of coastline, it will be a base for coastal industries, cooperative ventures in logistics, commerce and trade, and information exchanges between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The zone is slated to become the country's latest engine for economic growth - following in the footsteps of the Pearl River Delta in the south, Yangtze River Delta in the east and the Bohai Sea Rim in the north - by boosting ties with ASEAN members, Japan, South Korea, Europe and the United States, as well as Hong Kong and Macao.

Xu Ningning, China-ASEAN commercial council's deputy secretary-general, said: "People with diplomatic experience and good business connections are vital to building relationships with ASEAN countries."