Almost 7,000 of China's young university graduates will undertake voluntary work in the country's western regions this year, according to the Chinese Communist Youth League (CCYL).

The 6,944 students will work in relatively backward regions for one or two years, sources with the CCYL said.

The students were selected from 62,053 volunteers from China's 900 universities after strict examinations and interviews, sources with the CCYL said.

They include 2,131 Communist Party of China members and 4,723 youth league members.

Since 2003, more than 40,000 university students have volunteered to work in 500 poverty-stricken counties of China's western region in sectors like education, medical care and finance, according to the CCYL.

The CCYL and the ministries of education, finance and personnel jointly initiated the program in June 2003 to encourage more university student volunteers to work in China's western regions to promote development.

(Xinhua News Agency July 19, 2007)