10 Chinese-Friendly Companies You've Probably Never Heard Of (2026)
A Chinese international student's list of lesser-known US companies where Mandarin is a plus, with the numbers behind each one.
Updated 8 min read
Jiayue is the Founding Growth Lead at Simplify. Previously a PM at multiple AI startups, they came to the US from China at 19 and studied CS and anthropology at UChicago. They write for international job seekers.
I came to the US at 19 for college, and that was also my first time in the US. So my first trip abroad was also the first day of school. I'm the first person in my family to study abroad, which means every application I've ever sent, from college to a PhD to jobs, I figured out on my own. No agency, no consultant, just me and way too many browser tabs.
Now I work at a job search company, which is a little funny. I can finally see the stuff I used to guess at: who's actually hiring in the US, where, and which jobs ask for Mandarin. I really want to share what I can see, and my boss is okay with it (yes, I asked first).
You already know TikTok and Tencent. Everyone does, and so does everyone applying there. So this list skips the famous names. It's 10 companies you've probably never heard of that hire in the US and actually list Mandarin as a plus: five for tech roles and five for everything else.
How I picked them
I looked at the US jobs open on Simplify right now and pulled out the ones that ask for Mandarin or Chinese, either as required or "preferred." Then I kept companies that most students wouldn't think of, and checked each one's H-1B record with USCIS.
A few notes on the numbers:
- Simplify finds and lists openings from company career sites. "Open roles" means US postings open on Simplify in early November 2026. Reposts and multi-city listings count separately.
- Pay is what each company usually posted over the past year.
- H-1B numbers are new approvals from the USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub, added up across each company's US entities. When I say "last year," I mean USCIS's 2026 fiscal year, October 2025 to September 2026.
And one thing I'll keep repeating: Mandarin helps you get noticed. It doesn't get you a visa. Ask about sponsorship early.
Top 5 for tech roles
Engineering, data and science jobs. In both lists, the companies that sponsored the most new H-1Bs come first.
1. NewsBreak
68 open US roles on Simplify · See them and apply →
If you're an engineer, start here. NewsBreak is a local news app based in Mountain View, founded in 2015 by former Yahoo executive Jeff Zheng. It hires machine learning, AI and software engineers, including new grads, and posted pay usually runs $135,000 to $210,000. It's also the biggest H-1B sponsor on this list: 26 new approvals last year, up from just 1 the year before. Most roles don't require Mandarin. In 2024, some US lawmakers questioned its Chinese roots, and the company denies any government ties.
2. Canadian Solar
100 open US roles on Simplify · See them and apply →
Despite the name, its main manufacturing business, CSI Solar, is based in China. In the US it makes solar panels and cells at factories in Mesquite, Texas and Jeffersonville, Indiana, so this is the pick if you want manufacturing or quality engineering. Pay usually runs $120,000 to $140,000, and it got 24 new H-1Bs approved last year, up from 5. It did lose money last quarter, so keep an eye on it.
3. Foxconn Industrial Internet
261 open US roles on Simplify · See them and apply →
Yes, that Foxconn. But Foxconn Industrial Internet (FII) is the part that builds AI servers, and its US side is growing fast in Houston, San Jose and Wisconsin, where Foxconn is putting in more money. The work is hands-on: quality, test and manufacturing engineering. It asks for Mandarin more than any other tech company here (51 open roles), and if you're just graduating, it has 21 entry-level roles open. FII USA got 19 new H-1Bs approved last year.
4. GenScript
44 open US roles on Simplify · See them and apply →
If you studied biology or chemistry, look here. Chinese-born founders started GenScript in New Jersey in 2002, and it makes the building blocks of biotech research, like synthetic genes, proteins and antibodies. Most US jobs are in Piscataway: lab scientists, research associates, production and supply chain, usually paying $80,000 to $100,000. It got 17 new H-1Bs approved last year, up from 6. In 2024, some House members asked for a federal investigation into the company, but it hasn't been named under the BIOSECURE Act, the 2025 law on Chinese biotech suppliers.
5. Delta Electronics
164 open US roles on Simplify · See them and apply →
Delta is a Taiwanese company that makes power supplies and the power and cooling gear inside data centers. It's been in the US since 1980, with offices in Fremont, Plano and near Raleigh. It's a good fit for electrical, power and field application engineers, or technical sales if you like talking to customers. Pay usually runs $110,000 to $140,000, 22 open roles ask for Mandarin, and it got 15 new H-1Bs approved last year.
Top 5 for non-tech roles
Banking, sales, teaching and operations.
1. Bank of China USA
95 open US roles on Simplify · See them and apply →
Bank of China's US branches call themselves the oldest and largest Chinese bank in the US. Most jobs are in Manhattan, in treasury, risk, compliance, operations and IT, and many say Chinese is "highly preferred." It's the best pick here for internships: we saw 31 last year. It also got 13 new H-1Bs approved last year, the most on the non-tech list.
2. HungryPanda
35 open US roles on Simplify · See them and apply →
HungryPanda is a delivery app for Asian food that started in the UK in 2017 and now runs in 80+ cities in 10 countries. Its US jobs are mostly business development in New York, and more than half ask for Mandarin. Pay is on the low side (about $48,000 to $65,000), but it posted 39 internships last year, so it's a realistic way in. H-1B sponsorship is rare, and New York City settled with it in 2026 over delivery-worker pay and restaurant fees.
3. East West Bank
224 open US roles on Simplify · See them and apply →
East West started in LA in 1973 to serve the Chinese-American community, and its annual report still describes a focus on Asian American customers and US-Asia business. Today it's based in Pasadena, with branches in seven states. Most openings are banker and relationship manager roles in Southern California and New York, usually paying $80,000 to $140,000. Only a few ask for Mandarin outright, and H-1B is rare: 3 new approvals last year.
4. Think Academy
83 open US roles on Simplify · See them and apply →
Like teaching? Think Academy is owned by TAL Education Group and teaches math to K-12 kids, online and at centers around San Jose, Irvine and Seattle. Many roles are tutors and teaching assistants, often part-time, at about $21 to $26 an hour, and a lot of them ask for Mandarin. Here's the part I like: its headquarters is in Beijing, and its US job board also lists Beijing-based roles, like a leadership program for recent grads. If the H-1B lottery doesn't go your way, that's a possible Plan B back home. I didn't find any sign of formal transfers between the US and Beijing, though, so think of it as a door you can knock on, not a promise.
5. Chowbus
81 open US roles on Simplify · See them and apply →
Two Chinese international students started Chowbus in Chicago in 2016. Now it sells ordering and payment software to independent Asian restaurants, and it raised $81M in March 2026. Almost every open role asks for Mandarin, but most are the same sales job posted in different cities, paying about $70,000 to $90,000. If you like sales and speak Mandarin, it's hard to find a better match. H-1B sponsorship is rare here, though.
Also checked: Super Micro Computer and BeOne (formerly BeiGene) hire a lot of engineers and scientists, but each had fewer than 10 new H-1B approvals last year.
Two companies I looked at and left off: Faraday Future, because its own filings raise doubt about whether it can keep going, and moomoo, because its parent company is facing a large proposed penalty in China and its US careers page had no open roles.
The big names, if you still want them
I skipped these because you already know them, but they do hire in the US, and some of their roles ask for Mandarin too. Here are their Simplify pages, with open US roles in early November 2026: TikTok (about 1,800), Google (about 1,700), ByteDance (571), Tencent (62), JD.com (56), Baidu USA (25), BYD (20), SHEIN (16), XPENG (13) and DiDi (11).
The visa part, honestly
I'm not an immigration lawyer, so I'll keep this short and point you to the sources:
- The $100,000 H-1B fee from September 2025 applies to new H-1B workers coming from outside the US. According to USCIS guidance summarized by NFAP, it doesn't apply if you change status inside the US, like F-1 to H-1B. A newer fee rule was proposed in 2026 and isn't final, so check the current rules.
- The H-1B lottery is now weighted by salary. Starting with the March 2026 registration, higher wage levels get more entries (summary). So your offer amount now affects your odds.
For any company not on this list, you can look up its record yourself in the USCIS H-1B Employer Data Hub. It's free, and hardly anyone tells students about it.
How I'd use this list
At my last PM job, I had a lot of late-night meetings with our team in China, especially when we were working with the factory. Many of the people on the other end didn't speak English, so Mandarin wasn't a nice extra. It was how things got done. (My sleep schedule had other opinions.)
So treat Mandarin like a real skill. If a posting says "Mandarin preferred," put it near the top of your resume, not at the bottom next to "Microsoft Excel." Then apply to more places than feels comfortable. When I was applying, the hard part wasn't any single application. It was doing it over and over without losing track. That's what Simplify Copilot is for: it autofills applications and logs each one in your tracker, for free.
Good luck. 加油.
Common questions
Which of these companies sponsor the most H-1B visas? By new H-1B approvals last year (October 2025 to September 2026): NewsBreak had 26, Canadian Solar 24, Foxconn Industrial Internet's US arm 19, GenScript 17, Delta Electronics 15 and Bank of China USA 13. Chowbus, Think Academy and East West Bank had 3 each, so ask about sponsorship early.
What if I don't get picked in the H-1B lottery? Look at companies with offices back home. Think Academy is headquartered in Beijing and lists Beijing-based roles on its US job board. That's not a transfer promise, but it's a door you can knock on.
Do I need to speak Mandarin to get hired? Not always. Most of Chowbus's open roles ask for it, and so do more than half of HungryPanda's and about 4 in 10 at Bank of China USA. At NewsBreak and East West Bank, only a handful of roles do.
Which ones are best for internships and new grads? In the past year on Simplify, HungryPanda posted 39 internships, Bank of China USA 31 and Think Academy 17. For tech, NewsBreak hires new grads for engineering roles, and Foxconn Industrial Internet has 21 entry-level roles open right now.
Which ones pay the most? By typical posted full-time pay, NewsBreak ($135,000 to $210,000), then Canadian Solar ($120,000 to $140,000) and Delta Electronics ($110,000 to $140,000).
Why aren't TikTok or Tencent on this list? Because you already know them, and so does everyone else applying. This list is for companies most students don't think of, but there are links to the big names near the end.
Does the $100,000 H-1B fee apply to F-1 students? According to USCIS guidance summarized by NFAP, the fee applies to new H-1B workers coming from outside the US, not to people who change status inside the US, such as from F-1 to H-1B. A newer fee rule was proposed in 2026 and isn't final, so check the current rules first.