BRUSSELS, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- The EU-China Managers Exchange and Training Program (METP) attracted more European applicants in 2010 than last year, METP officials from the EU told Xinhua on Wednesday

    METP, a five-year intergovernmental cooperation project launched in July 2006 between the European Commission and the Chinese government in the field of international trade, drew 253 applicants from EU member states for its fifth intake. That compared to 149 for the previous round in 2009, according to the METP.

    The greater number of applicants was considered by organizers as a reaction to the grim job market in Europe and positive feedback from former trainees, the METP said.

    About 50 European managers will be finally selected from the 253 applicants for the fifth intake (METP5), which was scheduled to start in May and run until early 2011.

    In the program, the European managers will have Business Chinese language training at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, while the Chinese managers will receive tailor-made management training at three leading European business schools.

    After the training, the European managers will take up internships in a company or organization in China, while the Chinese managers will go to enterprises in the EU.

    Frediric Poncin, an IT veteran and participant of METP3, told Xinhua that METP was not only a language training program but also a business program.

    He said that nearly 10 months of living in China could also help Europeans understand the Chinese culture, which was important for people wanting to do business with China.

    "You must be able to speak the language of your customer or supplier if you want to successfully do business across borders, something we see even inside of the EU, " said Catherine Margaret Ashton, the designated EU foreign policy chief and former EU trade commissioner.