CNBC’s The China Connection newsletter: China’s K-visa plans spark worries of a talent flood 1/2

PUBLISHED WED, OCT 1 20254:26

KEY POINTS

• The program, which was rolled out on Wednesday with theaim of attracting foreign professionals, will also test how China balances its immigration policywith its pursuit of technological ambitions.

• Chinese social media users argue that the new visatilts the playing field toward foreign graduates at the expense of those educated in China.

•“Winning more American engineers is key, it is a chance for Beijing to showcase the superiority of its system,” said Dan Wang, China director at Eurasia Group.

==The big story=

Immigration anxieties and a challenging job market have sparked an onlinebacklash over China’s latest attempt at attracting global talent— a new visa program announced in August.

The program, which was rolled out on Wednesday with the aim of attracting foreign professionals,will also test how China balances its immigration policy with its pursuit of technological ambitions.

Under the new rules, young graduates — in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics or STEM — no longer need backing from a local employerand can enjoy more flexibility in terms for entry frequency and duration of stay.

The keyword “K-visa” — as China’s new visa category is called— was among the top searches on social media site Weibo for days, before chatter about National Day traffic jams pushed it off the charts as millions hit the road for a week-long holiday.

Chinese social media users argue that the new visa tilts the playing field toward foreign graduates at the expense of those educated in China. Others on Weibowarned that without employer sponsorship, the program could invite fraudulent applications andopen the door to a surge in arrivals from developing countries, piling pressure on an already strained labor market.

“It’s already hard enough to verify local degrees. Now the K-visa would quickly spawn a cottage industry of agencies helping foreigners secure entry,” one user, with the handle name “momo has a new life,” wrote on the platform.

The backlash has prompted an unusually sharp response from state media, that has dismissed the criticism as “misleading” and “narrow-minded.” An editorial in People’s Daily argued that China still lacks in high-level talent needed to sharpen its technological edge, brushing aside fears of excessive immigration.

Hu Xijin, the outspoken former chief editor of nationalist tabloid Global Times, called the public backlash “a messaging problem,” adding thatexpatriates account for just 0.1% to 0.2% of China’s population, compared with 15% in the U.S.

Beijing’s focus on courting foreign talent is in stark contrast to Washington that recently introduced visa restrictions, making it difficult for overseas professionals to work in the U.S.

China lags behind the U.S. in some key fields such as semiconductors and biotechnologyand has been eager to draw foreign talent to help it catch up.

It will be “a test” for Beijing to manage the program amid strong public opposition, said Dan Wang, China director at geopolitical risk advisory Eurasia Group,expecting China to keep K-visa issuance “tightly controlled in small numbers and strict criteria so it looks like targeted recruitment rather than mass immigration.”

The debate comes at a time when China’s job market has been deteriorating, with theurban unemployment rate in August rising to its highest level since February.

Adding to a mismatch between an abundant supply of educated workers and a shortage of white-collar openings is anavalanche of 12.2 million college graduates — a record high — entering the job market this year.

The official youth unemployment rate spiked in August to 18.9%, the highest number since the new system of record-keeping took effect in 2023, excluding students.

Still, fears of expatriates flooding local job market appear to be overblown as the new policy, led by state-backed capital, will target the “top-tech talents” with limited impact on the broader job market, said Bob Chen, economist at Shanghai-based FG Venture with investments in advanced technology, semiconductors and AI segments.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/01/cnbcs-the-china-connection-newsletter-chinas-k-visa-plans-spark-worries-of-a-talent-flood.html

>>23681283

2/2

Calculated move

While Beijing has not released specific detailson who will be eligible for the program orwhether they will be allowed to take up formal employment in the country, the gesture alone signals that China is becoming more open to the world.

Meanwhile, the U.S. appears to be closing itself off as President DonaldTrump imposed a $100,000 fee for H-1B visa applicants, making it more expensive for American companies to bring in skilled foreign workers.

Sectors tied to strategic rivalry with the U.S. — from semiconductors and clean energy to advanced manufacturing, AI and biotech — will likely see most traction under China’s new visa as it strives build its advanced tech ecosystem.

“Winning more American engineers is key, it is a chance for Beijing to showcase the superiority of its system,” said Eurasia’s Wang, adding that while India has a large pool of engineers, political and cultural sensitivities could limit approvals.

A biotech veteran who spent nearly 20 years at global pharmaceutical firms and now runs a research center in Shanghaiacknowledged that the K-visa could draw more Chinese Americans to China, who have faced a “bamboo ceiling” that still limits career advancement in U.S.companies. The person wished to remain anonymous due to privacy concerns.

Despite signaling a greater openness to global talent, the policy does not represent a sweeping liberalization of China’s immigration approach. China has historically maintained strict immigration policies, tightly restricting low-skilled workers with limited paths to permanent residency for foreigners.

China wants to use K-visa to bring in more talent, but the ultimate goal is still to rely on China’s own capacity to build future tech, said George Chan, a partner at Washington-based consultancy The Asia Group and former Asia policy director at Meta.

“Make no mistake: this is a highly calculated move by China, not an open invitation,” said Alfredo Montufar Helu, managing director at advisory GreenPoint in Beijing. “The goal isn’t mass recruitment [but] the strategic acquisition of exceptional individuals who can sharpen China’s competitive edge.”

Daniel Kritenbrink, partner at Asia Group and former U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, said the U.S. and China may not reach a broader trade deal like the ones that the White House has with other trading partners.

Leland Miller, China Beige Book CEO, joined “Squawk Box” to discuss the state of China’s economy, U.S.-China trade talks, the future of Taiwan independence and more.

U.S. interior secretary Doug Burgum joined “Power Lunch” to discuss President Donald Trump’s coal leasing plan, U.S. energy security and the AI race with China.

Need to know

DeepSeek launched V3.2-Exp model. The latest model, an experimental version of its current model DeepSeek-V3.1-Terminus, is expected to increase efficiency and improve AI’s ability to handle a lot of information at a fraction of the cost.

China’s industrial profits soared. The improved profitability came as Beijing intensified efforts to rein in excess supply and aggressive price wars that had hurt companies’ bottom line. Economists believe that a restructuring of China’s over-capacity issue is already in motion and will likely be a lasting theme in the 15th five-year plan.

Manufacturing activity improved in September. China’s official gauge for manufacturing activity showed a smaller-than-expected contraction in September as Beijing intensified its efforts aimed at curbing industrial overcapacity amid sluggish domestic demand and global trade disruptions.

Quote of the week

China equity market, over the last several years, they have gone through very significant composition shift … we need the macro to catch up, and we need to see that inflection turnaround point for the broad earnings to happen sometime in the next year. — Laura Wang, chief China equity strategist at Morgan Stanley

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/01/cnbcs-the-china-connection-newsletter-chinas-k-visa-plans-spark-worries-of-a-talent-flood.html

Bombshell ICE sweep in Minneapolis-St. Paul finds 50% of immigrants had committed immigration fraud

Alex Oliveir Sep. 30, 2025, 5:38

Nearly half of all immigrants in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Twin Cities were found to have committed some form of immigration fraud during a recent sweep by immigration authorities, officials revealed Tuesday.

“Officers encountered blatant marriage fraud, visa overstay, people claiming to work as businesses that can’t be found, forged documents, abuse of the H1B visa system, abuse of the F1 visa, and many other discrepancies,” US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) director Joseph B. Edlow told reporters Tuesday.

Officials didn’t point to a specific group,but the Twin Cities has seen a massive uptick in Somali refugees and immigrants in recent years— with more than 82,000 from the East African country living in Minnesota.

USCIS visited 1,000 homes across Minneapolis and St. Paul in the last two weeks and found “nearly50%” of inhabitants were engaged in some form of immigration fraud.

“Our officersfound indications of fraud, non-compliance or public safety and national security concerns,” Edlow said. “What they found should shock all of America.”

The operation –dubbed Twin Shield, and carried out with the help of ICE – began on Sept. 13 and concluded this week, with Edlow calling it a “success” that could soon be repeated in cities across the country.

“This is the first of many,” Edlow said.“Any city should be prepared to be the site for an operation of this magnitude.”(LA and NY next)

It remains unclear how many people were detained in the operation — officials would only disclose that “multiple” had been taken into custody, explaining that it was too early to give an accurate number.

The Twin Cities were chosenbecause the “data” showed it as a hotspot for “manipulation and misuse of the immigration system,” officials said, with cases ofmarriage fraudfound to be a particular problem.

In one incident, investigators encountered aKenyan immigrant who paid just $100 for a fake death certificatein his wife’s name so he could marry his way into the US.The trouble is, his wife was alive and well, and found with their five kids in Minneapolis.

“Incidentally, he has another wife living in Swedenwith whom has an additional three children,” Edlow said.

Another migrant found living in the Twin Citieswas the son of a “known or suspected terrorist on the no-fly list,” and had made numerous attempts to commit marriage fraud before being caught in the operation, according to officials. He is now in custody for deportation.

A third personconned an elderly American woman into marriage– and while the bogus couple have since divorced, officials said she “lives in fear” of retaliation from the conman.

“I want the American people to know that we are declaring war on immigration fraud,” Edlow said. “We have a responsibility to keep this system legitimate.”

“What has been uncovered by these diligent officers over the past two weeks, that’s only the tip of the iceberg.”

Minnesota has sizable immigrant populations from countries like India, Vietnam, and Mexico,but its Somali residents have been a flashpoint for years.

The first refugees fromHorn of Africa started arriving in the 1990s as Somalia descended into a violent civil war and famine. (Go after Ilhan)

While most are law-abiding asylum seekers – former Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek previously told Fox News “95%” are “good people” who want “to raise their families” –a minority have caused an outsized negative impact with rampant crime and gang activity.

Credit card fraud and burglaries have been chief among those crimes – while in some extreme casesrecruitment to overseas terror organizations like ISIS have been encountered.

https://archive.is/4YBKI

(Investigate Walz now!)

Trump Claims White House Is Nearing a Deal With Harvard

By Caroline S. Engelmayer

By Dhruv T. Patel, Avani B. Rai, and Saketh Sundar, Crimson Staff Writers

Updated September 30, 2025, at 9:37 p.m.

KEK

President Donald Trump told reporters on Tuesday in the Oval Office that the White House had “reached a deal” with Harvard, before cautioning that the agreement had not been finalized.

“All you have to do is paper it, right” Trump asked Education Secretary Linda E. McMahon, who concurred. “It’ll be great.”

When a reporter asked for more information on the details of the deal, Trump seemed to back up, saying an agreement was not yet finalized.

“We’re in the process of getting very close, Linda’s finishing up the final details, and they’d be paying about $500 million,” Trump said.

“And they’ll be operating trade schools, and they’ll be teaching people how to do AI and lots of other things. Engines, lots of things,” he added.

A Harvard spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The unexpected announcement comes after talks between the White House and Harvard stalled in recent weeks, following a judge’s ruling against the Trump administration’s block on $2.7 billion in federal grants and contracts to the University.Harvard was still facing a slew of federal investigations, and the administration has continued to levy new threats against the University’saccess to federal funding since the judge’s order.

Trump said reaching a deal would mean that Harvard’s “sins are forgiven.”

Under the agreement, he said, a series of trade schools would be “run by Harvard.”

“They’ve put up $500 million interest and everything else would go to that account — meaning it would go to the trade school,” he said.“It’s a big investment in trade school done by very smart people.”

The agreement described by Trump loosely mirrors the administration’s earlier settlement withBrown University, where the school agreed to pay $50 million to support workforce developmentin Rhode Island. Under that agreement, Brown did not pledge to directly “run” trade schools.

At the time of his remarks, Trump was signing an unrelated executive order aimed at advancing pediatric cancer research and tapping into “the extraordinary potential” of artificial intelligence.

He pivoted to Harvard when introducing remarks by McMahon and then again after a reporter asked him about the status of the settlement talks, which were first announced by Trump himself in June.

Trump’s remarks come as the Trump administration has turned up the pressure on Harvard. On Monday,the White House launched federal suspension and debarment proceedings against the University, a highly unusual move that would cut off the school from access to federal grants and contracts.

As recently as Sunday, Harvard’s top leaders had offered little clarity on whether a settlement existed — or, if it did, on its status or terms.

When asked by a Crimson reporter while leaving a meeting of the University’s governing bodies, Harvard Corporation chair Penny Pritzker responded that she had “absolutely no idea” how the negotiations might conclude.

Pritzker also expressed skepticism about Harvard’s willingness to agree to a settlement involving a $500 million payout.

“I’ve heard the Trump administration say that,” she remarked when pressed about the figure.

Meanwhile, Harvard Provost John F. Manning ’82 declined to answer questions regarding the talks when approached, offering only a tight smile.

Trump has repeatedly claimed that the White House has been on the verge of a deal with Harvard.

When he first broke the news that talks had resumed between the two parties in June, he claimed that a deal was coming “in the next week or so.” More than three months passed without signs of a finished deal.

https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2025/10/1/trump-says-harvard-deal/

Government shutdown live updates: Senate funding bills fail to pass again

Kevin Breuninger

Erin Doherty

Alex Harring

The United States government shut down early Wednesday morning,setting the stage for the furlough of hundreds of thousands of federal workers and the shuttering of a slew of key programs and services.

Here’s what to know:

• The full shutdown began after top Democrats and Republicans, including President Donald Trump, failed to agree on a short-term deal to keep the government funded.

• Democrats, led by Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, demand that any stopgap funding measure include an extension of enhanced Obamacare tax credits.

• Trump suggested Tuesday that his administration could take major actions during a shutdown,including cutting government benefits for “large numbers of people.”

•The Senate once again failed to pass dueling Republican and Democratic funding proposals.

Senate again rejects House GOP funding bill

The Senate again rejected House Republicans’ stopgap funding bill, prolonging the shutdown with no end in sight.

It was the second time in less than 24 hours that lawmakers in the Senate voted on the continuing resolution, which would fund the government through Nov. 21.

The measure did not advance in a 55-45 vote, the same outcome as Tuesday night. It needed 60 votes to advance.

The vote largely fell along party lines, but as was the case on Tuesday,Sens. John Fetterman, D-Pa., Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Angus King, I-Maine, voted with Republicans in support of the measure.

— Erin Doherty

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/01/government-shutdown-trump-live-updates.html

I don’t know why the democrats try to out maneuver Trump when it comes to negotiations. He always has a strategy for winning and losing, and they chose the loosing demand.

>>23680483, >>23680777, >>23680808, >>23680828, >>23680852, >>23680895, >>23680914, >>23680925, >>23680934, >>23680941, >>23681070 New narrative: "Generals hate Trump"???/Juvare/McCaffreyPN

Remember Milley said he would call China contacts if the US was going to war with them. How many Generals agreed with him ?

The Navy Admirals didn’t seem to side with the Generals . But why were Naval ships bombed by Hezbollah when Bidan sent them there for show?

AI-generated actress Tilly Norwood sparks Hollywood backlash

Tilly Norwood is the creation of an AI production studio.

September 30, 2025, 4:48 PM ET

AI-generated actress causing uproar in HollywoodHollywood actors are speaking out about reports that multiple talent agencies are interested in signing an AI-generated actress named Tilly Norwood. @tillynorwood/Instagram

Some of Hollywood's biggest stars and the union that represents them are speaking out against the creation of an AI-generated actress following reports that she will soon by signed by a talent agency.

The AI-generated actress, named Tilly Norwood, is the creation of Eline Van der Velden, the founder of Particle6, a United Kingdom-based AI production studio.

Van der Velden recently created buzz about Norwood when she claimed in a Sept. 27 panel at the Zurich Summit that the company was in talks to sign its AI creation with a talent agency to represent her for acting roles.

The statement prompted backlash in Hollywood, including from actress Emily Blunt, who described the prospect as "terrifying."

Tilly Norwood is an AI-generated actress created by Eline Van der Velden.@tillynorwood/Instagram

"That is really, really scary, Come on, agencies, don't do that. Please stop. Please stop taking away our human connection," Blunt told Variety on Monday.

Marvel star Simu Liu took to Instagram to comment, saying sarcastically, "Movies are great, but you know, what would be better is if the characters in them weren't played by actual humans, but by AI replicas approximating human emotion."

Whoopi Goldberg, an Oscar-winning actress and co-host of ABC's "The View," said she believes AI-generated actors have an "unfair advantage" over human actors.

"You are suddenly up against something that's been generated with 5,000 other actors … so it's a little bit of an unfair advantage," Goldberg said Monday on "The View."

SAG-AFTRA, the union that represents actors, also spoke out Monday against the use of AI actors, saying in a statement, "SAG-AFTRA believes creativity is, and should remain, human-centered. The union is opposed to the replacement of human performers by synthetics."

"To be clear, 'Tilly Norwood' is not an actor, it's a character generated by a computer program that was trained on the work of countless professional performers without permission or compensation. It has no life experience to draw from, no emotion and, from what we've seen, audiences aren't interested in watching computer-generated content untethered from the human experience. It doesn't solve any 'problem' it creates the problem of using stolen performances to put actors out of work, jeopardizing performer livelihoods and devaluing human artistry," the statement continued.

An account for the AI-generated actress has more than 30,000 followers on Instagram, where clips showing her acting are shared, including what the AI creation is heard describing as her first acting role.

"I star in AI Commissioner, a new comedy sketch that playfully explores the future of TV development produced by the brilliant team at @particle6productions," read a video caption posted July 30 on the Tilly Norwood account. "I may be AI, but I'm feeling very real emotions right now. I am so excited for what's coming next!"

Just one day after her comment about Norwood's future with a talent agency, Van der Velden said in a statement that she views Norwood as a "piece of art," not a replacement for human actors.

"For those who have expressed anger over the creation of our AI character, Tilly Norwood: She is not a replacement for a human being, but a creative work – a piece of art," Van der Velden wrote. "Like many forms of art before her, she sparks conversation, and that in itself, shows the power of creativity."

She continued, "I see AI not as a replacement for people, but as a new tool – a new paintbrush. Just as animation, puppetry or CGI open fresh possibilities without taking away from live acting, AI offers another way to imagine and build stories. I'm an actor myself, and nothing, certainly not an AI character, can take away the craft or joy of human performance."

https://abcnews.go.com/amp/GMA/Culture/ai-generated-actress-tilly-norwood-sparks-hollywood-backlash/story?id=126081156

Kim Jong Un orders North Koreans to check women for 'bourgeois' breast implants… and warns those with 'un-socialist' work done could be sent to a labour camp

North Korean women are being searched for breast implants after they were described as being 'un-socialist' and 'bourgeois'.

Communist Party members in the city of Sariwon have been ordered to conduct physical examinations of women suspected to have undergone breast augmentation surgery amid fears they have 'become tainted by bourgeois customs'.

Those suspected will be taken to hospital for examinations and were warned of strict punishments by Kim Jong Un's government if found to have had the procedure, according to South Korean news outlet Daily NK.

Breast augmentations are considered as 'non-socialist behavior' in North Korea and are banned from being carried out official medical institutions.

Two women in their 20s appeared on public trial last week after allegedly having breast augmentation surgery from a surgeon who dropped out of medical school.

They were caught after officers from Sariwon's public safety department went undercover and witnessed the doctor performing surgeries at his own home.

All three were paraded in front of crowds during the trial, which was also shown evidence including medical instruments used by the doctor during the surgeries, imported silicone, and wads of cash.

The two women claimed they underwent the surgery to improve their bodies, but the judge dismissed this,saying they were instead 'obsessed with vanity'.

'Women living in a socialist system have become tainted by bourgeois customs and are engaging in rotten capitalist behavior,' the prosecutor added.

The judge defined breast augmentation surgery as an 'unsocialist act' and warned of strict punishment for the women if they are found guilty.

The judge said the women 'had no intention of being loyal to the organisation and group, but was obsessed with vanity and ended up becoming a poisonous weed that was eating away at the socialist system.'

The doctor had supposedly majored in surgery at medical school but dropped out.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15150549/North-Korean-women-bourgeois-breast-implants.html

Madison Cawthorn launches comeback bid — in Florida

The former member of Congress lost his North Carolina seat in 2022 after a scandal-plagued term.

By JACOB WENDLER

10/01/2025 10:26 A

Former Rep. Madison Cawthorn will run for Congress in southwest Florida next year, the 30-year-old Republican announced Wednesday.

Cawthorn, who represented North Carolina’s 11th congressional district from 2021-2023, was defeated by Rep. Chuck Edwards in the 2022 GOP primary after a term plagued by a litany of high-profile scandals. He has been registered to vote in Florida since 2023, according to state voter rolls.

Cawthorn also repeatedly maligned his Republican colleagues in Congress, alleging without evidence that some had invited him to cocaine-fueled sex parties. He was also the subject of a leaked video and sexual misconduct and insider trading allegations, and repeatedly brought a handgun to an airport.

Cawthorn will join a crowded GOP primary to fill the deep red seat being vacated by Republican Rep. Byron Donalds, who is running for governor in Florida.

“I’m running for Congress to stand with President Trump, defend our conservative values, and fight to stop the radical left every single time,” Cawthorn said in a campaign launch video posted Wednesday.

The former lawmaker drew sharp condemnations during his single congressional term for inflammatory comments on a wide range of issues, including his insistence after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot that “If our election systems continue to be rigged, and continue to be stolen, it’s going to lead to one place, and it’s bloodshed.”

Cawthorn has also had several run-ins with the law: in 2022, the Republican was arrested for driving while his license was revoked and detained at a North Carolina airport for attempting to bring a gun on a commercial flight. And last month, he was once again arrested in Florida after allegedly missing a court date related to allegedly driving without an active license.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/01/madison-cawthorn-comeback-bid-00589496

YES

Dapper Detective

@Dapper_Det

🚨BREAKING: 300 ICE Agents, some repelling down onto the rooftop of this Chicago building from Blackhawk helicopters, arrest 30 criminal illegal aliens, some Tren de Aragua gang members, all being harbored by @GovPritzker

.

🚨TdA is a designated terrorist organization.

QuoteGovernor JB Pritzker@GovPritzker

·Sep 30

To Donald Trump:

Stop using military troops and ICE to invade and disrupt American cities.

https://x.com/Dapper_Det/status/1973123344292868564

>>23681816So fucking cool

>>23681841 excellent