Report Illustrates How Anti-China Politicians and Narratives Feed Anti-Asian Racism
Contact: Johanna Kichton, press@peoplesaction.org, 202.660.0605
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Justice is Global today released a new report detailing the danger that anti-China narratives pose towards Asian people in the United States. Based on interviews with leading researchers, journalists, organizers, and advocates, the report explains how the rise in anti-China narratives from U.S. political leaders has exacerbated anti-Asian racism. The report also offers counternarratives to use to combat these hateful sentiments.
“Politicians and media outlets too often resort to China-bashing and inflate the threat China poses to the U.S.,” Justice is Global Director Tobita Chow said. “Asian people across our country are being attacked because of this carelessness. Leaders need to stop the fearmongering and scapegoating of China, and separate it from valid and legitimate criticisms of the Chinese government.”
To combat the China ‘threat’ narratives, suggestions include:
- Individualize and humanize Chinese people by portraying a diversity of identity and opinions.
- Break down the U.S.-China binary to show the biggest threats to most people in the U.S. are shared across borders and require international cooperation.
- Create alternatives to American exceptionalism.
- Oppose and create alternatives to policies that are unnecessarily confrontational against China.
- When making valid criticisms of the Chinese government and Chinese businesses, be precise, apply criticisms universally, and separate human rights criticisms from inflated claims that China threatens American people economically and militarily.
The report is available here.
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Justice is Global is a project of People’s Action to win a more just and sustainable global economy and defeat rightwing nationalism. People’s Action is a national network of 40 state and local grassroots, power-building organizations in 30 states, united in fighting for justice. We operate the largest progressive rural organizing project in the country. People’s Action and its member organizations coordinated one of the biggest distributed organizing programs in rural areas this election season.