Is HSBC not saying no to issuing cards in mainland China?

admin

I saved some money and tried to apply for HSBC credit card. I filled in my personal information, asked about my occupation and monthly income, and then applied directly? Then it took about a week or so, received an email from HSBC.
I went to the HSBC branch offline and asked about applying for the credit card there, they said that you need to work in Hong Kong first before applying for it. This is really scamming me, isn't it?
The credit limit was given as $40K, which was more than what we got in mainland China. Also, does the account have any annual fees?