When China announced a new visa for foreign science and technology professionals in August, it initially drew little attention.
But the visa, known as the K visa and in force since Wednesday, became the focus of public attention last week when an Indian media outlet compared it with the US H-1B visa — a visa for skilled workers that was recently targeted by a Donald Trump executive order. In recent years, Indian nationals have made up more than 70% of H-1B holders.
The Indian report quickly spread in China, causing concern and even fear among the public that giving foreigners benefits could increase competition in China’s sluggish job market — in a country that has not traditionally been a major destination for foreign professional migration. Although it is still unclear whether the new visa actually allows foreigners to work in China or merely eases their entry, that did not stop tens of thousands of Chinese social media users from criticising the scheme.
