International / National Security

HONG KONG/SINGAPORE/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – China’s 1,000 Talents Plan is being carried on as part of a covertly revamped and expanded programme. According to three people familiar with the matter, and a Reuters review of more than 500 government documents from 2019 to this year, it was revealed.

On August 24th, the Chinese government’s 1,000 Talents Plan, a program to attract foreign talent, continues as part of a secretly redesigned and expanded program. The photo shows the image of the Chinese flag and semiconductors. February 2023 (Reuters/Florence Lo)

In 2008, China launched the 1,000 Talents Plan, which included a large amount of financial aid, with the aim of attracting talented foreign scientists and engineers. In 2018, however, the U.S. government labeled China as a threat to its own interests and scientific and technological superiority, and since then conducted strict investigations and surveillance of domestic scientists, and China has refrained from publicity.

But China still runs policy programs to attract overseas Chinese and foreign experts at various levels from the central government to local governments. According to several documents and interviews with people involved, the main successor to the 1,000-person plan is a program called “Keimei,” which is run by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

In particular, the Xi Jinping leadership has emphasized the need to realize in-house production in the semiconductor field, for which the US government began restricting exports to China in October last year.

For this reason, “Keimyung” is also targeting people in the science and technology industries, which are regarded as important, such as semiconductors, as candidates, two officials said. On the other hand, unlike the 1,000-person plan, the central government’s website does not mention Keimei, nor does it disclose the names of those targeted. Three people familiar with the scheme said they generally receive home-buying subsidies and contract payments of 3 million to 5 million yuan (60 million to 100 million yen).

“Keimyung” is used in conjunction with programs that have been used for many years to promote high-tech industries under the jurisdiction of other ministries, as well as human resource recruitment measures run by local governments.

Asked about China’s recruitment efforts, a spokeswoman for the National Center for Counterintelligence and Security (NCSC) said, “Foreign adversaries and strategic competitors will find that bringing in the best talent from the U.S. and the West is the technology itself. I understand that it is as beneficial as it is earned,” he said. He said such activities could pose risks to the U.S. economy and security.

However, Nick Maro, a China analyst at the Economist Intelligent Unit in the UK, said that it would be difficult to curb the leakage of intellectual property through the transfer of human resources. He raised the possibility that it could develop into “hunting”.

According to a 2021 report released by the Chinese government-affiliated think tank China Electronics and Information Industry Development Research Institute and the China Semiconductor Industry Association, the domestic semiconductor industry is facing a shortage of about 200,000 engineers and design engineers. there is

As with the 1,000 Talents Plan, the new talent recruitment program aims to recruit people who have gained experience at top-class foreign research institutes.

A person familiar with the matter said most of the applicants selected for Keimei studied at top U.S. universities and earned at least one doctorate degree. China is looking for researchers trained at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Harvard and Stanford, he added.

Multiple U.S. government officials say it is not illegal to bring in talent in the U.S., but researchers at universities receive federal funding without clarifying their ties to Chinese groups, or they receive proprietary information. It warned that illegally sharing or violating export controls could violate the law.

More than a dozen advertisements for Qiming have been posted on Chinese Q&A app Zhihu and LinkedIn since 2022, according to a Reuters investigation.

Looking at recruitment advertisements for “Keimei” and other programs put out in Linkton in February, it is said that they are looking for “young talent” under the age of 40 who have obtained a doctorate from a famous university and have overseas research experience. was written.

Furthermore, in March, as part of an initiative to recruit 5,000 overseas researchers for Chinese companies, a headhunting company in Hangzhou City, an SNS research gate for researchers, has a Ph.D. I posted that I was looking for people with corporate work experience. It is subject to the Qimei and other bidding programs, and if hired, each person can receive a reward of up to 15 million yuan. And so on.

However, many of China’s semiconductor engineers working abroad dislike the domestic political situation and the development environment, which is lagging behind that of the West. are reluctant to return to their home countries, two officials said.

“Engineers fear that these projects will change overnight or that the government will shift policy and throw them off the ladder,” said one of the people.

Last year, one local government received more than 200 applicants for recruitment programs such as Qimei, but only eight returned to China.

According to those involved, Chinese researchers, especially those with foreign citizenship or permanent residency, will give up opportunities to be active internationally if they participate in events such as Keiming, or they will be investigated by the U.S. government. There are many voices that worry that it will become.

In some cases, they are offered jobs in the overseas divisions of Chinese semiconductor companies. This is welcomed as “because you can put one foot in China and one foot overseas, it will be safer”.

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2023-08-26 21:21:00