SHANGHAI (REUTERS) - More than 4,000 people have applied for 23 jobs at the first open recruitment event held by China's new Xiongan economic zone, the state-run newspaper China Daily reported on Wednesday (Sept 27), in another sign of the frenzy that has surrounded the zone since its launch.

President Xi Jinping in April announced the launch of the Xiongan New Area, aiming to match the success of zones in Shenzhen and Shanghai that helped make China an economic powerhouse.

However, the strong government backing has also caused headaches for regulators as it has become a magnet for investor speculation in real estate and stocks.

The newspaper said the area received 4,123 applications for 23 jobs that it advertised last month at its newly founded state-owned construction company, China Xiongan Construction & Investment Group. Apart from local candidates, it also received applications from Canada, Japan and Iran, it added.

The authorities said that the salaries in Xiongan could be higher than that in Beijing.

"Salaries in Xiongan will be higher than in big cities such as Beijing, otherwise nobody would like to come," the newspaper quoted Liu Baoling, executive deputy director of the administrative committee of Xiongan, as saying.