"China Secretly Strives to Secure Overseas Semiconductor Talent Amid US Pressure"

Central and Local Governments Operate 'Cheonin Plan' Similar Programs
"Seeking Experts in Core Fields like Semiconductors and Graduates from Prestigious U.S. Universities"

After China effectively suspended its 'Thousand Talents Plan' program for attracting overseas talent due to pressure from the United States and other Western countries, it has been confirmed that a similar program is being secretly conducted. Since securing overseas talent in advanced technology fields such as semiconductors is crucial to gaining an advantage in the technology hegemony war, it is reported that China is recruiting these talents discreetly to avoid global attention.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Major foreign media reported on the 23rd (local time) that, based on multiple sources and an analysis of documents created by the Chinese government from 2019 to recently, China is operating a program to quietly recruit personnel who have studied advanced technology. The program, called 'Qiming,' supervised by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China, reportedly secures talent through various channels including central, provincial, and municipal governments, according to foreign media.

According to foreign media, the Chinese government has, in some cases, offered overseas talent housing purchase subsidies and contract bonuses worth 3 million to 5 million yuan (approximately 545 million to 900 million KRW) as conditions. Additionally, certain recruitment postings mentioned that those selected for this program would receive diamonds, bags, cars, and houses.

This program is said to be operated in a form similar to the Thousand Talents Plan, which the Chinese government ran from 2008 to 2018 (a program supporting 1,000 outstanding talents worldwide to secure advanced technology and knowledge necessary for industrial development).

While the core of this program is to secure talent in sensitive or confidential scientific or technological fields such as semiconductors, unlike the Thousand Talents Plan, sources say that information related to the recruited talents is not disclosed on government websites.

China’s covert recruitment of talent is interpreted as being mindful of the United States. The U.S. has claimed that the Thousand Talents Plan is a government-led industrial espionage program by China. Last year, the U.S. Department of Commerce restricted U.S. citizens or permanent residents from effectively working at advanced semiconductor companies in China.

Multiple sources reported that China is striving to recruit applicants who studied at top overseas universities. Most of the applicants selected for this program studied at prestigious U.S. universities and often hold at least one doctoral degree. China has also sought applicants from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Harvard University, and Stanford University.

Dean Boyd, spokesperson for the National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) under the U.S. Director of National Intelligence (DNI), stated, "Foreign adversaries or strategic competitors recognize that securing talent from the U.S. or the West is as valuable as securing the technology itself," adding, "Such recruitment can lead to potential conflicts of interest and pose economic and national security risks to the United States."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.