The 70 years old boss/chairman of Gree Electric 珠海格力 Dong Mingzhu (董明珠, 1954-) is in the hot seat lately, for her comment that she won’t hire overseas-educated employees, fearing they maybe spies 拒用海归 间谍论. What was her motive:
- slipped the tongue 说漏嘴了
- keep up her presence 存在感, good or bad
- bounding herself closer to Gree
- free ad for Gree or herself
SMCP: Why does China’s ‘queen’ entrepreneur Dong Mingzhu shun jobseekers educated overseas?
Xinhua | Dannie Pengin Beijing | 26 Apr 2025
Chinese businesswoman divides opinion by saying her company won’t hire overseas-educated executives due to security concerns
Dong Mingzhu (left), with President Xi Jinping at Gree’s moulding plant back in 2018, has divided opinion with her latest comments about overseas educated jobseekers. Photo:
Dong Mingzhu, a towering figure in China’s business world, has ignited a heated debate with comments that her company would avoid hiring executives educated abroad because of the risk they might be spies and her preference for home-grown talent.
Speaking at a shareholders’ meeting, the chairwoman of Gree Electric Appliances emphasised her company’s commitment to cultivating leadership from domestic universities, expressing concerns that overseas-educated professionals might pose a security risk.
While her comments were not intended to be made public, a video of them leaked, highlighting China’s deepening divide over the role of foreign-educated talent.
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