It seems there is a cull in operation

Enforcing the law is hardly 'culling'.
To teach English in China the law requires that you are a citizen of China or a citizen of one of 6 'native English speaking countries.'
If you are a citizen of a non-NES country and your Chinese employer provides you with a non-work visa OR a work visa that specifies you are performing a different category of work when in actuality you are teaching English, you are a candidate for deportation, fines and/or imprisonment.
Your Chinese employer is merely at risk for being inconvenienced; he must recruit another fool.