Tense relations between China and the US, a pandemic, and limited access to the country are firmly limiting a new generation of China hands to explore a career in the second economy of the world, says China professor Victor Shih in the South China Morning Post. “China was [once] seen as a kind of land of opportunity for young foreigners. That is no longer the case,” said Shih,
The South China Morning Post:
Victor Shih, a China scholar at the University of California San Diego, said reduced economic opportunities, combined with China’s zero-Covid approach, have put foreigners off China who might otherwise be interested in the country.
“China was [once] seen as a kind of land of opportunity for young foreigners. That is no longer the case,” said Shih, who regularly visited the mainland for decades until the pandemic. He described the “golden period” for aspiring China experts as spanning the 1990s to 2017-2018 when foreign nationals with “some Chinese skills” and China knowledge had ample job opportunities in Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China.
Shih echoed the view that Beijing’s restrictive entry policies during the pandemic have made China a less attractive place to be. Indeed, a three-month mass lockdown in Shanghai from April 1 to June 1 prompted many foreigners to flee the commercial hub.
More in the South China Morning Post.
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