Dong Mingzhu rebuts “Gree Electric doesn’t hire overseas returnees,” says Chinese universities can cultivate world‑class talent

Remarks at Tsinghua and a clarification

It has been reported that Dong Mingzhu (董明珠), chair of Gree Electric (格力电器), used a special lecture at Tsinghua University (清华大学) to push back on an old formulation that was widely interpreted as rejecting overseas returnees. Speaking on May 22 at a class themed “New Quality Productivity: Chinese Manufacturing and Gree Practice,” Dong said she never meant to disparage overseas‑educated talent, but rather to express confidence that China’s universities are capable of producing world‑class professionals.

Dong framed the point through personal example. She emphasized there are no shortcuts in a career: “do the ordinary job extraordinarily well,” was her message, she reportedly said, recounting her rise from a salesperson to the company chair. Gree’s two main business pillars—consumer appliances and industrial equipment—were cited as contexts where steady, practical expertise matters as much as pedigree.

AI anxiety, workforce policy and geopolitics

Dong also addressed what she called young people’s “AI anxiety,” arguing that intelligent automation should push humans toward higher‑level work rather than simply replace them. She encouraged young professionals to focus on skills and steady improvement instead of comparison and fear. It has been reported that these remarks come as Chinese firms confront both domestic calls for talent localization and external pressures—from export controls to sanctions—that have intensified Beijing’s emphasis on self‑reliance in core technologies.

Does this mark a broader shift away from hiring overseas returnees, or simply a rhetorical emphasis on domestic training? The comments feed into an ongoing debate across China’s tech and manufacturing sectors about where talent should come from amid rising geopolitical tensions and state drives for indigenous capability. Whether firms will materially change hiring practices remains to be seen; for now, Dong’s message is clear: she believes Chinese institutions can and should cultivate top talent.