China Policy Monitor No. 1648

CHINA'S NEW K VISA FOR OVERSEAS STEM GRADUATES SPARKS BACKLASH
China's new K visa system for overseas STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) graduates has sparked backlash amid rising youth unemployment. The visa allows foreign graduates to enter, live, and work in China without a job offer or invitation letter. Beijing launched the policy to attract high-end science talent, but critics warn it could worsen labor market instability. Unlike existing work visas which require employer sponsorship, the K visa permits individual applications — fueling concerns about fake documents and manipulation. Professor Zhou Xinyu of Renmin University says: "Visa reform is essential amid the global competition for talent, but... emphasizing the attraction of overseas talent without considering dissatisfaction among China’s youth could inflame social conflict." (Chosun Ilbo, October 1, 2025)

CHINA RESTRICTS EXPORTS OF PRECISION MACHINE TOOLS TO RUSSIA
In a win for U.S. secondary sanctions targeting Russia's military, China has curbed sales of precision machine tools vital for producing missile, engine parts, and precision-guided systems. "The PRC has restricted the supply of high-tech equipment, although this is rarely discussed publicly. Before it was possible to obtain machines with an accuracy of 3 to 4 microns, now it's no longer possible. You have to obtain a special export license," said Ildar Nuriev, owner of Russian machine-tool firm Tatpromstan. After years of record trade, Chinese exports to Russia fell 16.4 percent year-on-year in August. Total trade dropped nearly 9 percent in the first eight months of 2025, as China cut purchases of Russian raw materials, driving an 11 percent drop in oil imports and a 13 percent fall in liquefied natural gas from January to May. (Newsweek, October 9, 2025)

CHINA TO REVITALIZE TAZARA RAILWAY
After 18 months of negotiations, China, Tanzania, and Zambia have signed deals to revitalize the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA). The $1.4 billion investment will be led by China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC), which built TAZARA from 1970 to 1976. The project includes refurbishing the track from Dar es Salaam to New Kapiri Mposhi, upgrading major workshops, maintaining the existing line, and purchasing 34 new locomotives, 16 passenger coaches, and 760 wagons. At the signing in Beijing, Zambia's transport minister, Frank Tayali, said the project was "not just about restoring a railway line but reigniting a vision of regional integration, economic growth and shared prosperity." (China Daily, October 1, 2025)

CHINA, U.S. STRENGTHEN COOPERATION AFTER RECORD DRUG SEIZURE
China and the United States have agreed to strengthen cooperation in combating illegal drug-smuggling following a joint maritime operation that led to a record drug seizure. Based on intelligence provided by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), on February 24, 2025 Chinese narcotics and coast guard authorities intercepted a vessel in the South China Sea and seized 4973 kg of methamphetamines and detained seven suspects. U.S. authorities worked with Thai counterparts to conduct the initial investigation, and shared their intelligence with China, leading to the interception. The operation, the largest maritime drug seizure in the region in recent years, "highlights growing cooperation between China and the United States in addressing transnational drug crime." (Xinhua, October 10, 2025)

CHINA'S "BREATHTAKING" NUCLEAR BUILD UP
China will have 1,500 nuclear warheads in less than five years, Air Force General Kenneth F. Wilsbach, who is slated to be the next Air Force chief of staff, recently told the U.S. Senate. China's "nuclear modernization and expansion will increase its ability to target our homeland with longer-range systems that can reach the continental U.S." The four-star general described China's nuclear expansion as "breathtaking" in both speed and scale, and said China was rapidly increasing both its number of warheads and the variety of new strike systems to deliver them. The PLA's nuclear arsenal went from around 300 warheads in 2020 to 600 today, "with projections of 1500 by 2030." That number would give China an arsenal comparable to the U.S. and Russia, which each have about 1,700 warheads deployed. (Washington Times, October 10, 2025)