Dong Mingzhu, chairwoman of Gree Electric Appliances, recently sparked heated debate over her remarks, saying she would never hire a single overseas returnee because they were likely spies. The comments, which were made during the escalating US-China tariff war, were even criticized by Chinese media for defying common sense.
Dong Mingzhu, at an extraordinary shareholders' meeting held by Gree Electric on the 22nd, stated clearly on the issue of talent selection, "Gree Electric will never use 'returnees' because there are spies among them and we don't know who is who. When we can't tell, we can only make the conservative choice and cultivate our own talents in domestic universities."
The Beijing News, directly under the supervision of the central media outlet Guangming Daily, published a commentary stating that "Dong Mingzhu's 'spy talk' undoubtedly exposes her backward approach to hiring. To a large extent, this stems from deep-seated prejudice."
Wang Guochen: Xi Jinping does not trust overseas returnees
Wang Guochen, an assistant researcher at the First Research Institute of the Chinese-American Institution for Economic Research, told RT-TV that in recent years, China's top political bureaucracy has clearly favored "localists." For example, Cai Qi, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee who oversees the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, and Premier Li Qiang both hold degrees from mainland China. In the economic and trade sphere, the current Vice Premier He Lifeng, a graduate of Xiamen University, is at the helm, while his predecessor, Liu He, studied at Harvard University in the United States. In contrast, current economic and trade officials often lack international backgrounds.
He also observed that so-called "returnee" Chinese officials, particularly those with a background in the United States, rarely have a say. He cited the example of Yi Gang, the former governor of the People's Bank of China, who was replaced in 2023. Yi, who studied in the United States, said during the election of US President Trump last year, "Faced with tariffs or walls, from an economic perspective, not retaliating is best, but from a political perspective, not retaliating may not be able to meet domestic public opinion." Yi Gang's remarks were immediately blocked. Recent decisions regarding the US-China tariff trade war show that these decisions were not made in accordance with Yi Gang's proposals. Furthermore, those with a background in Japan have long been discouraged from further promotion. The CCP's historical suspicion of Japan has made it difficult for scholars and officials with such backgrounds to gain trust and be promoted.
"Yi Gang looks at the issue from an international perspective, but this conflicts with the nationalist stance of Chinese leader Xi Jinping. How can he not retaliate and explain to the little pinks? In the face of the conflict of views, Xi will consider whether such a suggestion was made because of the influence of studying in the United States and the pro-American views. Therefore, Xi Jinping will give more importance to the local faction rather than the returnees. Because the opinions of the returnees are inconsistent with his," said Wang Guochen.
Lai Rongwei: Chinese patriotism overrides professionalism
Lai Rongwei, Executive Director of the Taiwan Inspiration Association (TIA), told RT-TV that in a climate dominated by nationalism, politics and patriotism trump professional knowledge, leading to a widespread phenomenon of "laymen leading the experts." This is particularly true when the government makes economic decisions, emphasizing local pedigree over professional and technical ability. In this political climate, economic policies are often formulated not based on market data and trends, but rather on political loyalty and the desire to curry favor with superiors.
He stated that China is neither the world's largest economy nor has the renminbi become a universal global currency. Its industrial chain is highly dependent on the international market, and everything from raw material supply to product sales cannot be separated from the global system. For China, ignoring trends reflected in export markets will inevitably lead to significant challenges in integrating with the global economy. Lai Rongwei stated, "Unless China believes its economic strength is strong enough to regress to the closed-door policy of the 1980s, before Deng Xiaoping's reform and opening up, this is clearly impossible and unrealistic, so such a proposal would be a step backwards."
Chinese media praises overseas returnees' competitiveness, criticizes Dong Mingzhu's espionage theory
Shanghai's Xinmin Evening News singled out Dong Mingzhu's remarks as revealing her cognitive and intellectual limitations. Netizens readily pointed out the absurdity: "Many of the heroes of the two bombs and one satellite program were returnees, including Qian Xuesen; many revolutionary pioneers had studied abroad; and for China's globally competitive tech companies, such as Alibaba, Tencent, and Huawei, returnees are a core strength."
Returnees are valued at most in the technical field
Wang Guochen analyzed this on two levels. On a technical level, the Chinese government certainly hopes to attract a large number of returnees from the United States or other advanced countries to invest in the so-called "new three industries." However, these returnees are not used in political decision-making, and it is difficult for them to become leaders.
He believes Dong Mingzhu's remarks are not groundless, but rather reflect the distrust of the local Chinese community toward the overseas returnees, a sentiment inherently divided between the two factions. "So the locals feel that the overseas returnees are siding with the US to suppress China."
There is no shortage of support for Dong in the comment section
The discussion in the Beijing News' quick review section was quite lively, with both pro-Dong and anti-Dong voices having their own supporters. Supporters of Dong Mingzhu commented, "Returnees do pose a risk," and "Ms. Dong is absolutely right. They're not part of the national security system and can't discern the political identities of returnees. To avoid that possibility, they simply don't use returnees. That's perfectly normal." Opponents said, "Gree's core technology might be appreciated by spies, but it's another matter entirely if returnees appreciate Gree." "Ms. Dong's comments are too one-sided. There are also practical returnees, like Zhang Yiming and Wang Xiaochuan, who started their own businesses after returning from overseas studies."
Lai Rongwei: China requires overseas Chinese to collect intelligence in the name of patriotism
Lai Rongwei pointed out that under China's totalitarian and authoritarian system, all Chinese citizens are obligated to assist the Chinese government in intelligence gathering. The CCP uses patriotism and moral appeals to convey the message, "The Party and the country need you; you must take concrete action." Consequently, overseas students or residents, even those who have acquired another country's citizenship, are likely to be asked to assist in intelligence gathering as long as they were born in China.
"This assistance can be divided into different levels, ranging from providing on-site observation of local schools and communities and giving oral information to accepting instructions and taking action. Both international students and Chinese people overseas may be used by the CCP as intelligence facilitators," he added.
According to the "2024 China Returnee Employment Survey Report" released by Zhaopin.com, a Chinese human resources platform, the number of recent Chinese students seeking employment abroad in 2024 will increase by 19% year-on-year, and the overall number of returnees seeking employment will have doubled compared to 2018. The report states, "This trend is driven by domestic policy support and an expanding job market."
