China silent on US H-1B visa hike, but opens doors to global talent
Beijing, Sep 22 (PTI): China on Monday declined to comment on US President Donald Trump's move to impose a hefty USD one lakh fee for H-1B visas, but at the same time invited global professionals to work in the country as it prepares to roll out a new employment visa next month.
On Friday last week, the Trump administration announced a USD 1,00,000 fee on H-1B visas. The fee is a one-time fee on submission of a new H-1B petition.
“China will not comment on the US visa policy,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a media briefing here when asked about Trump's decision.
However, at the same time, he said in the era of globalisation, cross-border talents promote technological and economic progress globally, and Beijing welcomes global professional talent to explore opportunities in the country.
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China welcomes “talents from various industries and areas across the world to come and stay in China, jointly contribute to the progress of the human society and achieve success in their careers”, Guo said.
Indians account for nearly 71 per cent (over 2.8 lakh) of all H-1B visas, followed by Chinese professionals with around 11.7 per cent or over 46,600.
While the US tightens its visa regime, China last month announced a new work permit called K-Visa under which qualified professionals from across the world can come to the country and explore work opportunities.
The K-Visa, set to take effect from Oct 1, is aimed at attracting young science and technology talent and does not require a domestic employer or entity to issue an invitation.
According to the state-run Xinhua news agency, the new visa category was approved by the State Council and signed into law by Premier Li Qiang last month as part of amendments to the country's entry and exit regulations.
China's silence on the H-1B issue comes against the backdrop of trade negotiations with the US, where student and work visas are also under discussion.
Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping last week spoke over the phone, during which they reportedly agreed to the US takeover of the popular Chinese app TikTok.
The US and Chinese trade negotiators concluded their fourth round of talks in Spain last week to reach a trade deal on tariffs.
As per the decision, China will add the K-Visa category to its existing 12 ordinary visa types, available to eligible science and technology professionals.
Compared to the existing visa types, K visas will offer more convenience to holders in terms of the number of permitted entries, validity period, and duration of stay.
K-Visa holders can also engage in education and cultural exchanges, science and technology activities, and entrepreneurship and business.
"China's development requires the participation of talent from around the world, and China's development also provides opportunities for them," Xinhua quoted an official as saying.
Separately, China has also announced visa-free entry for tourists from over 40 countries for short-term stays to boost travel.
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Odisha: Normalcy returns to violence-hit Malkangiri; internet services fully restored
Malkangiri (PTI): Normalcy returned to Odisha’s Malkangiri district on Monday, nearly a week after around 200 villages were damaged in violent clashes in a village, with the district administration fully restoring internet services, a senior official said.
Additional District Magistrate Bedabar Pradhan said internet services, suspended across the district on December 8 to curb the spread of rumours and misinformation following the clashes, were restored after the situation improved.
The suspension had been extended in phases till 12 noon on Monday.
The administration also withdrew prohibitory orders imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita within a 10-km radius of MV-26 village, where arson incidents were reported on December 7 and December 8.
Though the violence was confined to two villages, tension had gripped the entire district, as the incident took the form of a clash between local tribals and Bengali settlers following the recovery of a headless body of a woman on December 4, officials said.
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The violence broke out after residents of Rakhelguda village allegedly set ablaze several houses belonging to Bengali residents, forcing hundreds to flee. The headless body of Lake Podiami (51), a woman from the Koya tribe, was recovered from the banks of the Poteru river on December 4, while her head was found six days later at a location about 15 km away.
Officials said the district administration held several rounds of discussions with representatives of the tribal and Bengali communities, following which both sides agreed to maintain peace.
Relief and rehabilitation work has since been launched at MV-26 village, with preliminary assessment pegging property damage at around Rs 3.8 crore.
A two-member ministerial team headed by Deputy Chief Minister K V Singh Deo visited the affected village, interacted with officials and locals, and submitted a report to the chief minister.
So far, 18 people have been arrested in connection with the violence, the officials said, adding that despite the withdrawal of prohibitory orders and restoration of internet services, security forces, including BSF and CRPF personnel, continue to be deployed to prevent any untoward incident.
On Sunday, Nabarangpur MP Balabhadra Majhi visited MV-26 and neighbouring Rakhelguda villages, and held discussions with members of both communities as part of efforts to rebuild confidence and restore peace.
More than two lakh Bengali-speaking Bangladeshis were rehabilitated by the Centre in Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts in 1968, and they currently reside in 124 villages of Malkangiri.
