One thing that China's markets lack is human capital. One part of that deficit is a lack of trust in the markets. When companies use fake protein in their foods and others put lead into children's toys, there are understandable reasons as to why they may be suspicious of domestic Chinese companies. Some companies figured out that they could gain a certain amount of legitimacy by hiring... inexperienced white workers.
No experience necessary—which was good, because I had none. I’d be paid $1,000 for a week, put up in a fancy hotel, and wined and dined in Dongying, an industrial city in Shandong province I’d also never heard of. The only requirements were a fair complexion and a suit.
This arbitrage benefits the companies and the inexperienced white workers while it hurts those people using white people as signals for true legitimacy to an operation. Going forward, it will be more difficult for companies and people to prove their legitimacy. This might explain why in South Korea my little brother had to send multiple agencies his actual college diploma in order to get a visa/job.
HT: MR.
Addendum: According to my brother the restrictions in Korea are due to a scandal where a US student who was a convicted child molester who got his E2 visa forged all of his documents. Because of that, tehy require original documents and even students with mere misdemeanors can't get a visa.