Droste:
Run, do not walk, to the door. Run from the airline. Run from the contract agency. Do not look back at either.
Chinese airlines are "sniping" pilots from other Chinese airlines, at great cost. They are paying the airline to "release" their license to work for them. I have heard this is between 1-2 million RMB, 130,000 to 260, 000 USD. They are paying expats 3-6 months to sit and do nothing to get them qualified to fly. The fee you are referring to is a scam. Maybe it is a company, or contract agency, trying to recoup some of their money. Or most probably, just a scam.
No foreign pilot pays a dime to work here. Unless of course they get a QAR. LOL
Run. As fast as you can.