China's new K visa for eligible young science and technology professionals officially came into effect on Wednesday.
In mid-August, the State Council announced the new K visa to attract young foreign professionals in scientific and technological fields. This new visa category follows Premier Li Qiang's approval of a State Council decree amending regulations on the entry and exit procedures for foreign nationals.
The visa will be available to eligible young science and technology professionals. Applicants must meet the qualifications and requirements set by the relevant Chinese authorities and submit supporting documents.
In comparison with the existing 12 ordinary visa types, K visas provide added convenience for holders, including more permitted entries, longer validity periods, and extended durations of stay.
After entering China, K visa holders can engage in exchanges in fields such as education, culture, and science and technology, as well as relevant entrepreneurial and business activities.
Beyond specific age, educational background and work experience requirements, applications for K visas do not require a domestic employer or entity to issue an invitation. According to immigration authorities, the application process will also be more streamlined.
China's new K visa officially comes into effect
China's consumer goods industry got off to a good start in 2026, with main indicators registering steady growth in the first two months, according to the data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
The value added of enterprises above the designated size -- whose annual main business income reaches 20 million yuan (about 2.93 million U.S. dollars) or more -- in this sector increased by 4.8 percent year on year in January and February, accounting for 29.2 percent of the total value added, 3.1 percentage points higher than that of last year. Among the 14 major industry categories, 10 achieved positive growth.
In the two months, these enterprises achieved a business revenue of approximately 5.1 trillion yuan, up 4.4 percent year on year, while the total retail sales of consumer goods exceeded 8.6 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 2.8 percent.
"The first two months were in the traditional peak consumption season, driving the growth of orders and helping to unleash production capacity in the consumer goods industry. Some emerging consumption patterns, such as experience consumption and trendy toy consumption, grew rapidly, and the supply market showed a diversified growth trend," said Dai Xiaoxia, deputy director of the Institute of Consumer Goods Industry Research of China Center for Information Industry Development.
In terms of foreign trade, exporters above the designated size delivered consumer goods worth around 592.54 billion yuan, up 2.2 percent year on year, with the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry, the papermaking and paper products industry registering relatively rapid growth.
China will increase the supply of high-quality products in the consumer goods industry, steadily promoting the intelligent, green and integrated development of the sector.
China's consumer goods industry posts steady growth in first 2 months
