The United States has seen an increase in anti-Asian racism and hate crimes. This spark in bigotry is nothing new to the United States. The nation was built upon the enslavement of African Americans and the eradication of the Native American population. Anti-Asian racism follows in a similar tradition of violence, abuse, and discrimination in US history. The current wave is different because it is connected to a pandemic, demographic shifts, and a change in the geopolitical order. China has been demonized as a threat to world security. As US power declines a new world of multipolarity international politics is emerging. The United States has wanted to remain the world's sole superpower since the fall of the Soviet Union. To do this an aggressive foreign policy was crafted. Neoconservative ideology seeks to have the world order revolve around the United States. Democracy promotion and humanitarian intervention was used as cover for advancing geopolitical hegemony. The militarist advance would inevitably create tension with China. The real concern about China has nothing to do about its one party state or human rights abuses. China is becoming a major economic competitor. The US has another reason to continue to escalate tensions. The military industrial complex can not function in times of peace. The arms and defense industry would not be able to survive without conflict. Sinophobia has become US foreign policy with commentators erroneously describing this as a new Cold War. What is a pattern of scapegoating and hysteria to justify US military intervention around the world. The consequence of this is that Asian Americans are viewed with suspicion and animosity. Scapegoating provides a distraction to growing economic instability, political corruption, and the public health crisis. Racism, xenophobia, and anti-immigrant sentiment will only get worse. The growing tension between both the US and China could lead to direct military confrontation . Anti-Asian racism has its roots in European colonial imperialism. The legacy continues to present.
Asia was subject to invasion and colonization by the British, French, Dutch, Americans, and Germans. Japan and Thailand were the only countries to avoid such fates. Afghanistan and Persia's sovereignty and security were under threat from both the British Empire and Russia. China's situation was unique. Seeing as the country was so large it was carved up into spheres of influence. Concessions were established in which the Qing government exerted little or no control. The process of dividing China began with the establishment of an open door policy. European powers agreed to respect one another's claims to economic zones. All agreed to practice extraterritoriality. That meant law enforcement would be conducted in concessions by the foreign power rather than the Qing government . The Tiaping rebellion caused Chinese to emigrate to other nations. Chinese went to America, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and South America. The Tiaping rebellion was a mass uprising against the government between the years of 1850 to 1864. The countries that the Chinese emigrated to they found themselves facing racism and violence. The Chinese experience during the 19th century culminated in the Chinese Exclusion Act . The law was designed to prevent and discourage Chinese from coming to America. Enacted in 1882, it was one of many racist and xenophobic laws enforced in the United States. Chinese emigration was used to help with labor shortages in the countries they settled in. When the Chinese came to America working on railroads they were paid less in comparison to their white counterparts. When the economic depression of 1873 occurred Chinese workers were blamed for suppressing wages and the economic turmoil. While Chinese were not the cause of the depression of 1873, American political leaders were using anti-immigrant sentiment and racism to distract the public. Across the Pacific Ocean , Southeast Asia was being absorbed by France. Around 1887 the Indochinese Union was formed which consisted of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. The Netherlands had full control of Indonesia. The British Empire's colonial possessions included Pakistan, India, Burma, Malaya, Brunei, North Borneo, and Sarawak. Asia was mostly under European subjugation. The United States acquired Guam and the Philippines during the Spanish American War. This sparked resistance and growing anti-colonial movements. The Boxer rebellion in 1900 and the Russo-Japanese War showed that Asia was not willing to accept imperial domination by Europe.
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| The colonies of the European colonial empires in 1914. Germany and Austria would lose their colonies during World War I. |
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| China lost wars against the British Empire and faced the Tiaping rebellion by 1850. Unable to resist external threats China was divided by European empires. |
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| Anti-Asian violence in America during the 19th century |
These events reinforced a racist myth of yellow peril. Asia had to be colonized to prevent the rise of an East Asian threat to the West. The Chinese and other East Asians were presented as violent and uncivilized. The biggest fear was that of a Chinese and Japanese alliance. If there was some form of Pan-Asian solidarity the European colonial empires would not survive. This did not happen instead the Japanese Empire adopted a more hostile stance to China. The militarist and ultranationalist factions of the government took over and sought to expand. Japan's wars were not for the sake of liberation. The intent was to push out European powers and replace it with a system of Japanese dominance. Anti-Asian racism in its modern form was born from the colonial past.
Sinophobia is a type of anti-Asian racism that describes the fear or hatred of Chinese. During the 20th century that nature of it changed in the US. The Immigration Restriction Act of 1924 was another form of legislation preventing Chinese emigration. Combined with the extensions of the Chinese Exclusion Act an entire race was specifically banned from entering the country. When the Second Sino-Japanese War broke out in 1937, US policy was adjusted to the situation. The US and China would become allies during World War II in the fight against the Japanese Empire. Although both countries were allies Anti-Asian racism did not stop. The Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed, but immigration restriction remained in place. Executive Order 9066 resulted in the internment of Japanese Americans. Although Chinese and Japanese Americans had different racial backgrounds they faced a similar experience of prejudice. The end of World War II did little to improve attitudes. When the Chinese Communist Party won the civil war, China became part of America's Cold War focus. Mao Zedong declared the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949. Sinophobia was updated for the Cold War era. China and Chinese were viewed as a red menace. The containment policy was used as a justification for wars of aggression in Asia. According to this policy, if communism was not contained it would spread around the world and take over. China the US claimed was attempting to assert control over all of Asia.
The Red Scare during the 1950s made Americans more paranoid about communism and the loyalty of Asian Americans. The image of perpetual foreigner constantly questioned whether or not Asians could be real Americans. Domino Theory was also utilized for the purpose of the US influence in Asia. With the exit of the British and French from Asia, the region became another front in the Cold War. Korea now had new colonizers of the US and Russia. When the Korean War broke out China mobilized for combat. The Chinese intervention halted chances of a US-UN takeover of the entire Korean peninsula. Korea would remain divided. Vietnam had to fight against the French and the US to achieve unification. China was not as dedicated to Vietnam as it was Korea. However, what the Pentagon Papers exposed was a large scale US campaign to be a successor to the French and British in Asia. From 1945 to 1967 the US became more involved in the region. The majority of the American public was unaware of the bombing campaigns in Laos and Cambodia. The US intervention was presented as saving Vietnam from communism and stopping Chinese domination of Asia. The geopolitical reality was that the US was trying to exploit Asia. America's wars against Asia resulted in many deaths and refugees. Cambodians, Laotians, and Vietnamese would flee to the US when the communists won the war. The new immigrants were not welcomed. Oddly, a new concept emerged which had two purposes. The model minority myth was created as means to show that America was no longer racist. The fallacy was proven by the murder of Vincent Chin in 1982. Japanese competition in the auto industry was putting strain on America's domestic produced cars. Detroit Michigan used to be the center of America's auto industry, but was facing decline. Asian Americans were as a whole scapegoated for the failure of the auto industry in the area. When Chin was murdered by two white auto workers, they assumed he was Japanese . Chin was a Chinese American, but to them it made no difference. Asians were still subject to discrimination, prejudice, and violence. The model minority myth was then used by racists to disparage other ethnic groups. The idea that African Americans or Latinos were not trying hard enough to succeed in American society was the talking point using Asians as a comparison. the surge in Sinophobia and Anti-Asian racism has morphed both domestically and internationally.
The new wave of anti-Asian racism is correlated with the COVID-19 pandemic. If the virus started in some other nation, these spike in attacks might not have happened. Instead of giving sympathy to those who lost their lives China is being blamed for the global health crisis. To say that China is responsible for all the world's deaths from COVID-19 is an exaggeration. Numerous conspiracy theories have been spread. The most prominent of these is that COVID-19 is a bioweapon developed by China. There is no evidence of this, but there are a sizeable amount of people who believe it. Such xenophobia and racism is expressed by conservative political circles. Liberal and moderate circles are not immune either. Like most Americans they have been convinced that China represents some form of global threat. This is only expressed in a subtle manner among the liberal and centrist faction. This goes beyond legitimate condemnation of the practices of the CCP. Chinese people are seen as an enemy or a danger to the world . The virus is called by the prejudiced minded as "the China virus" or "kung flu." Governments tend to direct public anger at groups that have nothing to do with the crisis. Asians did not cause the virus. Pandemics have started in various points in history. The origin of COVID-19 is disputed, but it has been thought to be zoonotic. What the current crisis exposed was the World Health Organization's slow response and how low quality healthcare systems put people at risk. The World Health Organization response has been less effective. There has been massive institutional failures from governments and supranational organizations. To mask these failures a narrative was created that China is responsible for the COVID-19 crisis. Pandemics can happen anywhere and to place the blame on one country demonstrates a bias.
The demonization of China is a means to keep the military industrial complex relevant. The United States continues to spend more on its military rather than domestic programs. Seeing as it is a large exporter of arms to various nations, conflict becomes profitable. The arms industry is a major part of the US economy. If there was some type of peace or decrease in war the arms industry would suffer. Some question why the US needs multiple bases around the globe or why arms production has dramatically increased. The need for a nation to be classified as a rogue state or threat to international peace is required. Making China look like an existential threat allows for American militarism to remain unquestioned. Classifying nations in simple terms such as good or evil ignores the geopolitical complexities of the world. To define the world in such terms ignores history, culture, and the reasons for long term conflict. The military industrial complex is preserved by the China fear for the purpose of a permanent state of warfare. The United States invaded both Iraq and Afghanistan destabilizing the Middle East and Central Asia. The US has conducted military strikes in Syria and Yemen. The War on Terror was used an excuse to wage war in West Asia. However, the War on Terror concept is not useful enough to expand military operation. It is too amorphous and declaring a war against a tactic is illogical. To some degree all states use terrorism against other nations during war or against targeted groups. The only way the public will accept egregious amounts of violence is if there is a false ethical cause presented. Invasions are reimagined as liberation and war as a form of democracy promotion. China becomes in this fantasy a caricatured villain , while America is presented as a heroic savior. America must be aggressive to keep the world safe in this perspective. This distorted view is no different from the European colonial empires of the past. America is in terms of its capability a larger threat to global security than China could ever be. The China threat myth keeps the military industrial complex active, even when there is no point to its existence.
The US-China tension has a basis in economics. World powers are in competition for global markets. China's rapid rise was due to its emphasis on a manufacturing sector and the adoption of neoliberal capitalist policies. The question remains on whether China is truly communist anymore seeing as it has abandoned Maoist economic policy. It would be difficult to even classify China as market socialism. When Deng Xiaoping promoted economic reforms in the 1980s agriculture and industry would change. Farming communes were dismantled and individual farming was allowed. China was becoming an export based economy. China would acquire Hong Kong from the British in 1997, which was a major financial center. China's economic power was growing. The United States was becoming more nervous and vexed at this economic progress. The Obama administration wanted to halt China's economic rise with the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The behavior that America demonstrates is similar to when Japan was becoming more economically powerful. During the Reagan administration a prosperous Japan was seen as a threat. The decline of heavy industry in America enabled Japan to gain influence in the US market. At the time, similar xenophobic sentiments were expressed about their economic success. The rise of China during the late 1990s to early 2000s was met with the same distrust. When President Trump launched a trade war against China the previous US presidents were already establishing the ground work for future economic warfare. The Bush administration took notice of China's access to African markets. President Obama wanted to counter this, which explains the reasons for increased military action in Libya and Somalia. The Obama administration took this another step further by the Asia pivot foreign policy. Currently, both the European Union and US have imposed sanctions on China. The reason is based on the abuse of Uyghurs. The sanctions are not for the purpose of human rights concerns, rather to stop Chinese economic progress. Racism and discrimination against Uyghurs and Tibetans has been widely known. The sudden concern is not out of some ethical epiphany. The new sanctions will most likely not stop China's economic rise. China's exploration into information technology such as 5g wireless networks will make it more powerful. China is now a upper middle income country and the world's second largest economy.
US-China tension is not a new Cold War. The risks are more precarious. The reason is that certain conditions are making it possible for a direct military confrontation. The United States has more bases in East Asia and continues to instigate disturbances in the South China Sea. Disputes related to territory existed prior to American involvement. However, US interference has only made the situation worse. North Korea becomes a focal point in this struggle for regional influence. Hong Kong and Taiwan will also become involved. The events that occur there become sources of contention among China and the US. Through observation it is seen that the US has no interest in diplomacy. The policy seems to emphasize planning for war with China through a larger coalition. What has emerged out of American think tanks is the concept of the Chinese challenge. The notion that China represents a unrelenting international antagonist was developed by these organizations. Yellow peril has been updated for a new generation of leaders. The articulation of this is more sophisticated than the more blatant racism of the past. The argument is that Chinese assertion is a threat to security. Every country has to assert itself if it wants to survive. Otherwise, it could be subject to external manipulation or conquest. Maybe the real problem is large power competition among nations, rather than China itself. The plans are in motion to form an anti-China coalition. The US, Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, and South Korea will gradually become more aligned in military force. The prospect of mass global conflict only increases with such an obsession with China. The intent should be to reduce escalation, rather than making justifications for aggression. The worst consequence of all of this is that other Asian nations will suffer. Countries may have to select a faction between China or the United States. Myanmar, India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh will get caught up in US-China tension. Asia will thus be divided against itself. A US-China war would be devastating. The world cannot survive another conflict similar to the Great War or World War II . The loss of life, economic stability, and infrastructure would be so immense recovery would not be possible. The past three presidential administrations made no effort to reduce tensions and it appears that the current one will not either.
The new rise of anti-Asian hate is a revival of past racism with a modern update. It must be acknowledged these racist sentiments are a part of the US government and foreign policy establishment. The mainstream media and entertainment also is guilty of promoting prejudiced ideas and racist stereotypes. The image of perpetual foreigner, model minority, or dragon lady has been presented in literature , TV, film, and other visual media. When China is mentioned on the news it normally given a negative representation. China is seen as an adversary methodically plotting against the United States. The process of othering allows people to justify mistreatment or violence of certain races. The racism that America is witnessing remains part of a larger problem. For too long, the concept of a real American meant to be white. The melting pot only applied to European immigrants. Irish, Germans, Italians, and Russians could be accepted, but African, Asian, Latino Americans were not . America's changing demographics has resulted in growing xenophobia and hatred of other countries. Economic decline has caused the population scapegoat and project frustration. Instead of American leaders devising solutions they instead try direct discord away from their constant failures. Stagnant wages, growing national debt, an inadequate healthcare system, and the growing chance of an mass eviction crisis demonstrate America has little ability to take care of its population. China becomes a distraction to America's internal economic and political issues. Simultaneously, Asian Americans are becoming more isolated and marginalized. Resistance is growing to the rise in hate crimes. Stop Asian hate demonstrations have been held across America. If people are dedicated to this cause, then they should also protest US foreign policy in Asia. A person cannot say they are against Asian hate, while supporting US aggression or neocolonialism on the Asian continent . The public should oppose the attempt to escalate US-China tension, wars in West Asia, or belligerence with North Korea. America requires a major reassessment of its behavior and how it interacts with Asian countries.
