SHANGHAI, June 7 (Xinhua) -- China has launched an international contest to attract skilled high-level talent.

The China International Skills Competition 2017, held in cities of Shanghai and Suzhou, has drawn 227 contestants from 35 countries and regions to attend.

The event, scheduled from Tuesday to Friday, will have 21 areas of competition, including joinery, car repair and beauty therapy.

Senior skilled workers account for 40 percent of all industrial workers in Japan and 50 percent in Germany, but the ratio is only 5 percent in China, according to Li Shouzhen, an official with the All-China Federation of Trade Unions.

"The shortage of skilled and senior technical workers has affected the quality of China-made products," said Feng Weiyuan, head of Guangdong Machinery Technician College.

"I hope the competition will serve as a platform for young people to learn different kinds of skills, and for skilled talent to share experiences in their professions," said Yin Weimin, Minister of Human Resources and Social Security.

The event is organized by the ministry, Shanghai municipal government and the Jiangsu provincial government.