There is also the possibility of working in an international company that might transfer you there, especially if you have language skills already.

There is risk with this move though in the years that follow.

Why? The US is seeking a decoupling and sanctions war on China that will likely mirror their moves against Russia which could easily prompt many western companies to pull out of China or reduce presence dramatically at which point OP you’d be scrambling against all your co-workers including native Chinese to get a job to be able to stay in China.

Of course China might mirror Russia’s moves to absorb some of these companies in counter-sanctions but there’s no guarantee that they’ll go out of their way to protect and keep western workers who after all are largely white/western chauvinists who aren’t particularly pro-China in most cases. Having permanent residency by this point means you’d be more likely be kept on, lacking it means it’s easier for them to dismiss you and focus on their own people and problems.

Think that US corporate interests will stop such a plan? Maybe. Maybe not. The biggest companies in the US were trying to do business and expand into the USSR and had money to gain but the US government blocked them and threatened them. It denied them the right to make profit from an enemy to hurt that enemy. Just as it has done successfully with Russia. They’ll put up so many measures that inflict compliance requirements and costs and roadblocks and just plain distractions and tariffs that most western companies will choose to voluntarily exit or draw-down presence greatly I believe.

I believe this will be over an instigated, US-led Taiwan declaration of independence that they will prompt their obedient puppets there in the DPP to make which will lead to either a mainland invasion or severe coercive measures that are adequate for the US to portray China as a bad guy threatening a good guy democracy and rally the "garden’ of Europe on the side of liberalism with them to do to China what they now do to Russia. As we’ve seen with Russia it won’t be complete or sudden but gradual turning of screws which prompts companies for ideological and financial reasons to leave. One must also remember things like Epstein, the point of which is to have compromising material on business leaders that government can leverage in instances like this to force them to act in the way they desire. And of course open government blackmail that companies can either do business with the US or China which prompts them to leave to save their larger western government contracts.

It’s possible this won’t actually happen but there are a lot of planners and people trying to make it happen and making the moves setting the stage for it happening so if that’s your way to China I’d say don’t slack on getting permanent residency as soon as possible.