Zheng Shanjie, Party chief of Ningbo, meets eight academicians from either the Chinese Academy of Sciences or the Chinese Academy of Engineering on Feb 13. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Ningbo aspires to lure more premium talents as it looks to enhance manufacturing capabilities and ensure sustained high-quality economic development, a local senior government official recently said.

The city's development entails premium talents, intelligence and innovation incubators, noted Zheng Shanjie, Party chief of Ningbo on Wednesday while meeting eight academicians from either the Chinese Academy of Sciences or the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

Zheng pledged to offer improved benefits and a good environment for high-caliber professionals working in Ningbo, pointing out that they are an indispensible force in building the city into a nationwide manufacturing hub.

According to Zheng, Ningbo has launched an action plan to step up manufacturing capabilities and accomplish tech breakthroughs in some key industry sectors.

Ningbo has seen outstanding results in expanding its talent pool in recent years, which has helped fuel its vibrant economic growth.

In 2018, the city hosted 500-plus talent-recruitment activities, attracting over 210,000 talents in myriad fields, up 9.8 percent year on year. The net inflow rate of talents in the city was 10.1 percent last year, second among all Chinese cities, statistics from the job-hunting company Liepin show.

Ningbo is currently home to 134 academician workstations and has established a cooperation and exchange mechanism linking high-profile talents and local businesses.

Zheng Shanjie, Party chief of Ningbo (left, first), talks with the visiting academicians on Feb 13. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]