SAN FRANCISCO, March 4 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese delegation held a scouting event at Stanford University on Sunday to recruit talents from Silicon Valley, a global innovation hub.

The delegation from Yangpu, a district in Shanghai, was looking for high-tech skills in areas such as big data and machine learning.

"Yangpu welcomes talents from all around the world. We hope foreign talents can come to participate in and share the rapid development of Yangpu," Li Yueqi, Communist Party of China secretary for the district, said.

"China has entered a new era and innovation is the theme. As Shanghai is focused on becoming an outstanding global metropolis, Yangpu District is in the frontline to implement the innovation strategies," Li said.

Yangpu was designated a national innovation pilot urban district in 2010. Six years later, the State Council, China's cabinet, named it as one of the first national demonstration bases of entrepreneurship and innovation.

The district is home to 10 world-class universities and over 100 research institutes.

"We are committed to building Yangpu into one of the most innovation-friendly areas in the world," Li said.

Wang Jingfan was among the almost 300 students and young entrepreneurs who attended the event. Wang, a Stanford student, is also the leader of an overseas Chinese students' group developing their own startup projects.

"It's a trend to base innovations here in the Silicon Valley and develop the market in China," he told the participants.

Wang, who visited more than 10 high-tech enterprises in Yangpu in 2016, is now helping promote the district's preferential policies for foreign talents.

The delegation, which included executives of more than 20 biotech, artificial intelligence and internet technology companies in Yangpu, also provided networking opportunities for companies and individuals planning to go to China.