BERLIN, April 24 -- The Chinese Embassy in Germany held a symposium on Saturday to attract outstanding young talent willing to work in China.

"Now China provides a broad stage for young talent innovation, which for me is a good starting point," Ji Yuanhui, a scholar newly sponsored by the Thousand Young Talent Program of China, told the symposium.

A total of 34 young scholars in Germany were on a list of scholars invited and sponsored to work in China under the 12th Thousand Young Talent Program, making Germany its largest source of talent in Europe.

China unveiled the program to attract promising young talent from overseas in 2011. The program encourages young talent to work in China by providing them with financial and policy support.

As of 2015, some 2,000 distinguished young scholars had been sponsored under the program.

Ji said she had made up her mind that she would go back when she left China for further studies. She is a scholar supported by the German Humboldt Foundation and will be engaged in drug formulation studies at China's Southeast University.

The Chinese program also supports foreign scholars. Joerg Goette, a German scholar and one of the few foreign scholars sponsored by the program, will take his family to the city of Nanjing to carry out quantum electronics research at Nanjing University.

Goette said he was attracted by the wonderful platform for research and the great potential that he can explore with the support of the program.

The symposium on Saturday attracted more than 100 young people and scholars from all over Germany, and senior officers from top Chinese universities who are keen to recruit overseas talent.

Chinese Ambassador Shi Mingde said China has a strong demand and huge space for talented young people as the country goes through a period of still fast economic development.

"Well-educated young talent are increasingly honored in China. They are fundamental to the development of China's high-tech sector and the upgrading of the Chinese economy," he said.