China’s New K-Visa: An Open Door for Global Tech Workers–or Soft-Power Play?

Beijing’s generous K-visa angers job-hungry locals and, analysts say, it acts as a soft-power lure for young tech workers from the Global South.

Nearly 11,000 graduates, including more than 2,000 students who could not attend the graduation ceremony the previous year due to COVID-19, attend a graduation ceremony at Central China Normal University in Wuhan, in China's central Hubei province, on June 13, 2021. STR/AFP via Getty Images

News Analysis

As Washington tightens immigration rules for foreign workers and students, Beijing is extending an unexpected invitation.