It is not a secret that ties between the United States and China are somewhat tight right now. This tension may be attributed to a number of factors, including a prospective ban on TikTok that is being suggested in Congress and an expansion in the United States military presence in the Pacific.
In point of fact, the connection with China is influencing political agendas all over the globe.
It was only last week that an announcement was made regarding a new submarine cooperation with the United Kingdom and Australia. Part of the motivation for this announcement was to compete with China.
Nonetheless, a significant number of Chinese Americans are concerned that the strained relationship may lead to an increase in acts of bigotry or prejudice.
CHINESE AMERICAN HISTORY
It is important to go to the Chinese American museum in Washington, D.C. and talk to David Uy, the executive director, in light of all the current news reports and the tension with China.
Uy responded to the question of what a Chinese-American looks like by saying, “People frequently wonder, what does a Chinese-American look like – I am one of them — I am half Chinese and I am half Italian.”
He asked all Americans to keep in mind that just because relations with China are hot in politics does not give anyone a reason to be impolite or cruel to their neighbors, which is something that is crucial to keep in mind during this time.
Uy explained, “You may have problems with a nation, but those folks in the United States are just as American as you are.”
Uy continued by saying that “we do not want spy balloons drifting over the country.”
The number of hate crimes committed against Asian Americans is, unfortunately, on the rise.
According to recently revised statistics provided by the FBI, there were more than 700 anti-Asian incidents reported across the country in 2021. The Uy museum has experienced it for themselves first-hand.
“Someone hurled a rock through our glass, and someone left hate speech at one of our exhibitions,” he added. “We have had both of these things happen.”
One of Uy’s goals is to increase the amount of knowledge that People have about the history of Chinese Americans in the United States.
For example, Chinese laborers played a significant role in the construction of the transcontinental railroad.
Uy stated that the laying of ten miles of rail track took place in a single day. One of his concerns is that things will revert to how they were before.
Between the years 1880 and 1960, the Congress of the United States placed severe restrictions on, and for a good portion of that time period, outright forbade, the immigration of Chinese people to the United States.
The Chinese Exclusion Act is still frequently cited as one of the strictest immigration regulations that the United States Congress has ever enacted.
Uy stated that they were not necessarily the ones that were greeted the most warmly.
As the political competition between the United States and China continues to heat up, it is important to keep all of this in mind.
You can ask any political analyst, and they will all tell you that it is a rivalry that is not going away anytime soon.