China can learn from US immigration strategies to attract foreign tech talent and remain competitive in the intensifying global technology race, Li Mingbo, deputy dean of the Guangzhou Institute of the Greater Bay Area (GIG), said.
Li said China must be more efficient in promoting its new K visas for young science and technology specialists from overseas and that the country lacked an immigration system tailored for hi‑tech talent.
Immigration policy lessons from the US
“Although the US has tightened its visa policies, I think it still offers valuable lessons for China, particularly in attracting international hi‑tech talent, an area where China remains relatively weak and overly conservative,” Li said earlier this month.
He added that conflict‑affected countries such as Ukraine, Russia and Iran are home to “incredible tech talent, including top engineers and mathematicians looking for safer, better places to live.” “China actually has an urgent need for certain technical professionals, and those countries have plenty of them,” Li said. “It would be great if we could bring them in through a technical immigration pathway, yet we currently lack relevant policies.”
