Chinese-Americans urged to help mend ‘difficult’ ties

Beijing’s ambassador to the United States has called on Chinese-Americans to help improve US-China relations, which he said were “going through serious difficulties”.

Speaking at a reception hosted by the Committee of 100, a group of elite Chinese-Americans in business, government, academia and the arts, Qin Gang also pledged support to combat anti-Asian hate.

The comments by Qin came as the US is celebrating Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month this month, and as hate crimes targeting Asian-American communities have risen sharply, partly driven by anti-China political rhetoric and misinformation about the Covid19 pandemic.

According to a recent poll by the non-profit Leading Asian Americans to Unite for Change and The Asian American Foundation, at least 21 per cent of US adults now say Asian-Americans are at least partly responsible for Covid-19, up from 11 per cent last year.

Meanwhile, 33 per cent believed that “Asian-Americans are more loyal to their country of origin than to the United States” – up from 20 per cent last year.

Qin admitted that bilateral relations between China and the US faced serious difficulties, but said Chinese-Americans could play a role because “the China-US relationship concerns not only the future of the world, but also the welfare of Chinese-Americans”, according to a transcript published by the Chinese embassy.

“China is regarded as the most serious competitor and even ‘national security threat No 1’ of the US. With various kinds of misunderstandings, misperceptions and misjudgments going on, the risks of confrontation and conflict are on the rise,” he said.

“Just as an old Chinese saying goes, ‘No egg stays unbroken when the nest is overturned’, Chinese-Americans are US citizens with natural ties to China,” Qin continued.

“I hope that you can help build China-US friendship, advance exchanges and cooperation, bridge differences and ease confrontation. Ultimately, Chinese-Americans can only prosper when the China-US relationship enjoys sound and stable development.”

Qin’s audience included Gary Locke, a former US ambassador to China and chairman of the Committee of 100, and Huang Zhengyu, a prominent businessman and former White House Fellow.

Qin said that amid the rise of pandemic-fuelled racism, Asian-American communities should be united, to “get more engaged in politics, get more integrated into American society, and better protect your legitimate rights and interests”, adding that the Chinese embassy would also work with Chinese-American communities to stop anti-Asian hate.