Gree Electric Appliances chairwoman Dong Mingzhu has ignited controversy with her recent statement that her company “will never hire overseas returnees because there are spies among them.” This comment comes amid escalating US-China trade tensions and has drawn significant criticism from Chinese media outlets, with some calling her views “contrary to common sense.”
During a temporary shareholders’ meeting on the 22nd, Dong addressed talent selection by stating that Gree Electric “will absolutely not use ‘overseas returnees’ because there are spies among them, and it’s impossible to distinguish who is who.” She added that under these circumstances, the company would take a conservative approach by cultivating talent from domestic universities.
The New Beijing News, managed by state media outlet Guangming Daily, published an editorial criticizing Dong’s statement as revealing “backward talent selection views” stemming from “deep-rooted prejudice.”
Wang Guochen, research assistant at the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research, noted that China’s political leadership has shown a preference for officials with domestic educational backgrounds. He observed that officials with international experience, particularly those educated in the United States, have diminishing influence in policymaking circles.
Meanwhile, Chinese media have defended the value of overseas returnees, pointing out that many scientific achievements, including China’s nuclear and satellite programs, were made possible by returnees like Qian Xuesen. They also highlighted that globally competitive Chinese tech companies like Alibaba, Tencent, and Huawei count overseas returnees among their core competitive advantages.
The controversy has sparked intense online debate, with supporters of Dong arguing that her caution is justified for security reasons, while critics counter that her views are overly simplistic and ignore the contributions of returnees to China’s development.
According to a 2024 report by employment platform Zhaopin, the number of graduating overseas students returning to China for employment increased by 19% year-over-year, reaching twice the level seen in 2018, driven by domestic policy support and job market expansion.
Source: Radio Free Asia, April 25, 2025https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/shangye/jingji/2025/04/25/china-gree-returnees-spy/