As one of China's southern gateways to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region is leveraging its geographical advantages to introduce talent from those neighboring countries to promote its development.

Since 2010, about 360 ASEAN experts have registered for foreign-expert certificates and are working in Guangxi, accounting for 12.2 percent of all foreign experts who arrived in the region during that period, said Jiang Minghong, director of Guangxi's department of human resources and social security.

Jiang said the ASEAN professionals work in three main areas: the teaching and research of ASEAN languages; the service sector, including trade, finance and tourism; and heavy industries, such as mining.