Luo Zhaohui, chairman of the China International Development Cooperation Agency, is a keen advocate of Luban Workshop — the vocational education brand that China runs to offer skills training, Mandarin study and job opportunities in foreign countries.

Luo, who is also a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said his proposal to the CPPCC National Committee's annual session this year is about promoting the construction of the Luban Workshops.

So far, China has established 27 such workshops in 23 countries, and Luban — the Chinese engineering master who lived 2,500 years ago — is now becoming known by more people overseas.

"The workshops have trained a large number of professional and technical talents for those countries, and have become a golden symbol of China's 'small yet smart' program," Luo said.

In the future, the agency, which is China's leading agency focused on foreign aid, will continue to increase the assistance provided by such programs, he added.