LettersThe US likes Chinese money, but what about the Chinese people?

Chinese students have made a substantial financial contribution to US universities, yet racism against the Chinese was evident in US bus company advertisement

Given the economic benefits China has brought to the US, the country should be more respectful of the Chinese

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Chinese graduates celebrate at Columbia University in New York in May 2016. The more than 360,000 Chinese students in US universities make a significant financial contribution to the American higher education system. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 2:00am, 22 Apr 2019Updated: 1:42pm, 23 Apr 2019

The US bus company ad mocking Chinese students at the University of Illinois, for which the firm must make a six-figure payment after settling a lawsuit (“‘You won’t feel like you’re in China’”, April 18), clearly attests that xenophobia directed at the Chinese race is a lingering issue, even in multicultural and ethnically diverse countries such as the US. The Trump administration’s recent visa restrictions on Chinese students have added fuel to the fire.

China is certainly a substantial financial contributor to the US education industry, with over 360,000 Chinese students in American universities being charged premium tuition fees to offset the subsidies provided to domestic students. The presence of Chinese also helps to expand the cultural diversity of student bodies and promote an international outlook.

Instead of embracing the benefits brought by students from a growing economic powerhouse, American universities appear to have resorted to showing more prejudice to Chinese students than ever. The line on the bus advertisement, “Passengers like you. You won’t feel like you’re in China when you’re on our buses”, starkly differentiates Chinese students from Americans, revealing the hypocrisy of universities in wishing to promote racial equality.

As a nation, China has brought great socioeconomic benefits to the US – in terms of exporting low-cost, mass-produced goods, technological advancement and its increasing consumption of American products by a growing middle class. It is unfortunate that the Chinese race is often degraded and subject to widespread mockery. With China’s increasing dominance in the global market, I believe that it’s in America’s best interest to show more respect to the Chinese and set an example of racial equality for other countries to follow.

Christopher Yeu, Mid-Levels