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Legal experts say a growing number of China's leading tech companies are using noncompete agreements to retain even junior talent as the U.S.-China tech war heats up. (Illustration by Yoshiko Kawano)
The Big Story

China's tech workers trapped in jobs by noncompete contracts

From Tencent to Pinduoduo, companies use surveillance and lawsuits to retain staff as competition ramps up

CISSY ZHOU, Nikkei staff writer | China

HONG KONG -- On a chilly night in late February, 24-year-old tech worker Emma decided to kill herself.

Scared of pain, she chose to drown herself in a river in the city of Hangzhou. The freezing water made her shiver all over, but she continued slowly walking forward. Then, she thought of her disabled father, who depends on her financial support every month.

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