Tech war: China quietly recruits overseas chip talent as US tightens curbs
- The Chinese government is pushing a talent programme called Qiming targeting scientific and technological fields, such as semiconductors
- Advertisements for Qiming applicants have been posted on LinkedIn and Chinese Q&A platform Zhihu by self-identified recruiters
For a decade until 2018, China sought to recruit elite foreign-trained scientists under a lavishly funded programme that Washington viewed as a threat to US interests and technological supremacy.
Two years after it stopped promoting the Thousand Talents Plan (TTP) amid US investigations of scientists, China quietly revived the initiative under a new name and format as part of a broader mission to accelerate its tech proficiency, according to three sources with knowledge of the matter and a Reuters review of over 500 government documents spanning 2019 to 2023.
The revamped recruitment drive, reported in detail by Reuters for the first time, offers perks including home-purchase subsidies and typical signing bonuses of 3 to 5 million yuan, or US$420,000 to US$700,000, the three people told Reuters.
China operates talent programmes at various levels of government, targeting a mix of overseas Chinese and foreign experts. The primary replacement for TTP is a programme called Qiming overseen by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, according to national and local policy documents, online recruitment advertisements and a person with direct knowledge of the matter who, as with others, spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the issue’s sensitivity.
The race to attract tech talent comes as President Xi Jinping emphasises China’s need to achieve self-reliance in semiconductors in the face of US export curbs. Regulations adopted by the US Commerce Department in October restrict US citizens and permanent residents from supporting the development and production of advanced chips in China, among other measures.
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Neither China’s State Council Information Office nor the ministry responded to questions about Qiming. China has previously said its overseas recruitment through the TTP aimed to build an innovation-driven economy and promote talent mobility, while respecting intellectual property rights, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.
