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Chapter 2653 Public Opinion Storm

A high-end interview program on CCTV has invited Suning to conduct interviews on multiple occasions.

Considering the recent string of negative news surrounding Tianchao Group, Suning decided to accept the interview invitation.

The studio was brightly lit.

The audience was packed with people, including media reporters, university students, representatives from industry associations, and even leaders from some important departments.

Host Chen Xiufeng has been doing interview programs on CCTV for more than ten years. He is known for his sharp and unsparing questions, and many business leaders sitting across from him have been sweating profusely from his questions.

Today, Chen Xiufeng was wearing a dark suit and sitting on the sofa opposite Suning, with two cups of coffee on the coffee table in front of him.

When the recording of the program began, the host did not start with a few pleasantries to warm up the atmosphere as usual.

She glanced at the outline, then looked up and threw out the first question, "President Su, Tianchao Group has developed rapidly in recent years, but there have always been questions about your employment system. For example, many people say that not hiring overseas students is discrimination, xenophobia, and isolationism. How do you respond?"

Suning adjusted his posture and faced the camera without flinching.

"I can answer this question directly," Su Ning said. "Tianchao Group does hire overseas students, but we try to avoid hiring self-funded overseas students. For those who study abroad on government scholarships and return to China after completing their studies, we still recruit them through the normal process, and they are hired after passing the training and assessment. But we really don't hire many self-funded overseas students."

Host Chen pressed further: "Why? What's the difference between self-funded and government-sponsored study abroad?"

"The difference lies in the selection mechanism," Su Ning said. "Government-sponsored study abroad is funded by the state, with a multi-layered selection process. Those sent abroad undergo rigorous political and academic vetting. They go abroad to study specific majors and solve specific problems, and must return to serve the country after graduation. The professional and ideological qualities of these individuals are guaranteed. Self-funded study abroad is different. It's for those with money at home; as long as they pay, they can go. There are no selection criteria. Some people say that not recruiting self-funded students is discrimination, but I say no, it's a matter of corporate security."

"The critical period for a person's worldview to take shape is around the age of twenty. If you send a young person who has just come of age to a completely different cultural environment, where everyone around him is telling him what universal values ​​are and what free thought is, after a few years he will be thoroughly immersed in it. When he returns to his country, he will find fault with everything and feel that his country is no good in this or that way. Would I dare to put someone with this kind of mindset into the core department of the Celestial Empire Group? Can someone who is all talk and no action do a good job?"

The host didn't respond, and Su Ning didn't need him to either, so he continued, "The combustion chamber design parameters of China's automobile engines, the underlying architecture of Tencent QQ, the global logistics scheduling system of Kunyu Shipping... which of these things can withstand a single leak? China Group doesn't have the energy to investigate the mindset and moral bottom line of every overseas student, nor is it obligated to gamble on whether they have been targeted by foreign forces. We don't do things like guarding against thieves for a thousand days."

“Some people say I’m being lazy in governance, but I say this is the bottom line. If a company can’t even keep its core assets confidential, then it’s not far from going bankrupt.”

The host's eyebrows twitched slightly, and he pressed on, "But Tianchao Group also has its own research institutes overseas, and employs foreign scientists and students. Isn't this a double standard?"

Su Ning shook his head: "No double standards. All the overseas students and foreign researchers employed by Tianchao Group work in local research institutes, and their research results are transmitted back to the domestic headquarters through encrypted channels. They do not have access to the headquarters' core database or enter the headquarters' decision-making chain. This is physical isolation, and it is a completely different process from our recruitment of local talent in China."

He picked up his coffee cup, took a sip, put it down, and continued, "The core positions in the country must be filled by people we train ourselves. Our technical school graduates enter the workshop at seventeen or eighteen, learn from their masters for three years, their hands are calloused, they have a wealth of skills, they are simple-minded, and their stance is firm. With people like that, I can sleep soundly at night."

The host glanced down at the outline, turned a page, and posed an even more pointed question: "Mr. Su, many parents are now scrimping and saving to send their children abroad. What you just said is tantamount to a complete denial of this social phenomenon. So what is your opinion on studying abroad?"

Suning put down his teacup. “I’m not against all studying abroad. Truly capable children who get into top programs and universities abroad, such as engineering at MIT, computer science at Stanford, or aerospace engineering at Caltech, should of course go and study there. There is indeed a gap in educational resources at this level in China. Going abroad to learn real skills and come back to serve the country is a good thing, and I support it.”

He then changed the subject, raising his voice slightly: "But the problem is, the vast majority of families who send their children abroad these days can't even get into a decent university in China. They spend hundreds of thousands or millions to send their children abroad, but what are they actually studying at? Diploma mills. The names sound impressive, like 'So-and-so International University' or 'So-and-so Business School,' but in reality, they don't even have a proper laboratory. The library is smaller than our study at home, and the professors are all part-time; we only see them a few times a year. These schools charge tens of thousands of dollars in tuition a year, but they don't teach anything; they just sell a diploma."

Someone in the audience chuckled softly.

The host nodded slightly, but did not interrupt him.

Su Ning continued, "These kids went abroad for a few years, but they didn't learn any skills, broaden their horizons, and came back with a bunch of bad habits... They spend money recklessly, look down on their parents, look down on their own country, and keep talking about how great other countries are. If you really ask them what's so good about other countries, they can't even explain their social security and tax rates."

"Mr. Su, what do you think it's like abroad?" the host asked at the opportune moment.

“The high welfare levels abroad don’t fall from the sky; they’re supported by high taxes,” Su Ning said. “If you’re an ordinary recent graduate, and you go abroad to find a job, after taxes and rent, the money you have left isn’t much more than what your peers in first-tier cities in China have. Moreover, foreign countries are purely money-driven societies; everything costs money… You need to make an appointment to see a doctor, you have to pay for an ambulance, you have to pay lawyer fees for lawsuits, you have to pay property taxes every year, and you have to pay management fees for a cemetery plot when you die. There’s no system to protect you, no social welfare network to support you; you have to bear all the risks yourself. Some people think that going abroad will solve all their problems, but they find that there are even more problems once they get there, and nobody tells them that.”

He paused, his tone becoming more somber: "What I'm about to say might offend many people today. Among those sitting in front of the TV might be parents who spent hundreds of thousands to send their children abroad, only to find their children can't even find jobs when they return. But I must speak out. Because there's a blind craze for going abroad right now, with too many families pouring their life savings into it, only to receive a worthless diploma and a child dissatisfied with reality."

The host asked, "Mr. Su, have you seen any examples like this before?"

“I’ve seen too much,” Su Ning said. “Some families send their children abroad, and the parents have to work even after retirement. They sell their houses and rent new ones, and in the end, the children come back earning only a few thousand yuan a month, which isn’t even enough to pay off their student loans. Some men even send their wives abroad, ostensibly to accompany them, but these older white men see these housewives as gold mines. Imagine, in that unfamiliar environment, how many women can endure it? Many men who send their children abroad not only spend all their savings but also break up their families. Many behaviors that are explicitly prohibited in China are legal abroad. Many students studying abroad lack self-control and quickly succumb to despair and decay. This isn’t an isolated case; it’s a widespread phenomenon. I don’t want ordinary people’s hard-earned money to be spent on this kind of thing, and I certainly don’t want Tianchao Group to be unable to recruit capable people in the future.”

He paused for a moment, then said something that stunned everyone in the studio: "To put it bluntly... you spent a million to send your child to a lousy university, and when they come back, they're not as capable as a rural kid who's only had six months of vocational training. It's harsh, but it's the truth."

The host closed the outline.

He didn't press further or try to refute it, but remained silent for several seconds.

The studio was so quiet that you could hear the faint hum of the overhead lights.

Then the host turned to the audience and said, "I won't be summarizing this interview. The audience can judge for themselves."

……

After the program aired, the effect far exceeded the expectations of the CCTV program team.

On the night of the broadcast, CCTV's hotline was inundated with calls. Operators worked in three shifts but still couldn't keep up. On the other end of the line were parents hesitating about sending their children abroad, mothers who had already sent their children abroad and were now regretting it, international students studying abroad, and so-called "returnees" who couldn't find jobs after returning from overseas.

A parent called, her voice trembling with tears, saying that she and her husband sat in front of the TV for a long time after watching the program.

The two discussed it all night and decided to put away their son's passport, which was in his first year of high school, and not go abroad. They decided he should just focus on getting into university in China.

“My husband and I have been saving money for decades, and we originally planned to send our son to Canada to study business. After watching Mr. Su's interview yesterday, my husband couldn't sleep all night. When he woke up this morning, he told me that we shouldn't spend the money. Spending it would be like pushing our son into a fire pit. Mr. Su is right. If he can't even get into a good university in China, what kind of future can he have studying abroad? It's just spending money to buy a false face.”

The operator asked her, "Does your son agree?"

“We talked to him, and he didn’t actually want to go abroad. He just felt embarrassed to go because several of his classmates were studying abroad. Now that we’ve said we’re not going, he’s actually relieved. Mr. Su’s words not only woke us up, but also relieved my son of his burden of saving face.”

"Have you considered that President Su's judgment might also be wrong?"

"Of course we considered it! But we changed our minds. We can use this money to support our child. There's really no need to travel thousands of miles abroad."

A business student studying in Australia called from overseas, saying, "What Mr. Su said was harsh, but it's the truth. At least half of my Chinese classmates are just paying money to get a degree. They don't attend classes, have others do their assignments, and by graduation, they can't even write a proper English email. I'm also reflecting on myself: what have I actually learned? Was it worth spending hundreds of thousands of yuan over the past two years?"

The operator asked him, "So what do you plan to do?"

"I've made up my mind. I'll go back to China after graduating next year. The grass isn't always greener on the other side. I've seen that clearly after two years here. What President Su said was so true... It's better to build a city wall in one day than to guard against thieves for a thousand days. Rather than being a second-class citizen in someone else's city, I'd rather go back to my own home and build a strong city wall."

Several mainstream newspapers published commentary articles in their opinion sections.

One newspaper published a commentary titled "Whose sore spot did Su Ning's 'harsh words' hit?" The article stated that although Su Ning's words were unpleasant to hear, they revealed a long-neglected issue.

Studying abroad has transformed from elite education into a consumer activity, with more and more families unknowingly spending huge sums of money to buy a foreign diploma that has no real value.

The article concludes: "When an entrepreneur who manages trillions of dollars in assets is willing to say on national television, 'It's unpleasant to hear, but it's the truth,' we shouldn't rush to refute him, but rather consider... whether he is telling the truth."

The posts on various online forums exploded.

The debate raged on, with some saying Suning was engaging in populism while others said Suning was telling the truth. The argument was very intense.

Someone posted a comparison table online of employment data for graduates of technical schools in China and overseas returnees.

The left side of the table lists graduates from technical schools in China...

Training is free, meals and accommodation are provided, and graduates are directly assigned to jobs with a starting salary of 4,000 yuan. After three years, the average salary is over 6,000 yuan, and after five years, some people are promoted to section chiefs with a monthly salary of over 10,000 yuan.

On the right is a returned overseas student...

It takes four years and one million to find a job. The starting salary is four thousand. After three years, the average salary is five thousand. After five years, some people are still changing jobs.

The table's title is just one sentence: "Which one to choose?"

This chart has been forwarded millions of times.

One person commented below: "If that million had been used to buy a house, it would have doubled in value by now. If it had been used for studying abroad, it would have only resulted in a diploma that couldn't even buy an interview. Even a primary school graduate could do this kind of math."

Of course, some people in the comments section retorted, "Studying abroad shouldn't just be about the financial aspect; it should also be about the benefits in terms of knowledge, connections, and perspective."

Someone immediately retorted: "Knowledge? He can't even explain the social security tax rates, what has he seen? Connections? All he knows are Chinese classmates who are just like him trying to get a degree, what connections? Perspective? His perspective is so broad that he doesn't even want to work in his own country, is that what you call perspective?"

Tianchao Group's public relations department did not issue any follow-up press releases this time.

Director Li Hui wrote four words on the public opinion briefing: No response required.

Suning himself has not given any further interviews, letting this huge wave of public opinion continue to ferment.

Of course, we know this wave of public opinion is a double-edged sword and will most likely harm the group's interests.

However, Suning has no regrets. He doesn't want the Chinese people to wake up more than 20 years later, and he doesn't want them to continue to drift towards separation and divorce in a daze.

As for its own China Group, it has neither a lack of technology nor a lack of funds, so there is really no need for it to care about the opinions of those foreign white men.

...(End of this chapter)