Washington, D.C. –  On the heel of a successful summit between President Biden and President Xi in San Francisco as part of APEC 2023, the AAPI Victory Fund issues the following statement today, representing the views of respected leaders of the AAPI community, on the challenges and opportunities of the US-China relationship. “We constituted a US-Asia Policy Working Group co-chaired by Zheng Huang and Wenchi Yu to make sure our voice was heard and critical people-to-people connections were enhanced through dialogue”, commented Shekar Narasimhan, Chair of AAPI Victory Fund when releasing this statement.

As the world’s two most powerful nations, the United States and China have one of the most complex and consequential bilateral relationships. While it was unfathomable just a few years ago that there might be an armed conflict between the two countries, with rhetoric and competition heating up on many fronts, including in armaments, the possibility for an armed conflict is real.

In the meantime, decades of growing connections between peoples, businesses, academia, and civil society, much built through Asian Americans with the relevant heritage ties and cultural understandings, have come to a halt, at first because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and now due to the chilling effect of growing mutual distrust. As loyal Americans, Asian Americans believe that a more balanced relationship advancing the interests of the United States while avoiding war is possible. 

Respect of ethnic minorities and human rights, fair market access, intellectual property protection, and economic espionage prevention are fundamental to American interests. Addressing these and other difficult facets of the US-China relationship, including ensuring peace across the Taiwan Strait, requires, at the minimum, an increase and not a shutdown of understanding of and communications with China by Americans. We applaud the Biden administration for securing Beijing’s commitments to curb trade in fentanyl related ingredients, the resumption of military-to-military dialogue, and a renewed program of climate change initiatives. However, our utmost concern is that the demand for accurate information, analysis, and knowledge of China in most aspects has not been met with a sufficient pipeline of Americans with the relevant cultural and technical expertise.

“Asian Americans welcome principled US-China engagement to advance US’s interests. We look forward to contributing to the knowledge and understanding of China accurately so the US strikes the right policy balance and enhances the interests of all Americans,” said Wenchi Yu, Co-Chair of the AAPI Victory Fund US-Asia Working Group.

The 24 million Asian Americans living in the United States are united in supporting the following:

• Strengthen the United States’ capacity to defend our and our allies interests globally and in particular in Asia;

• Enhance knowledge of and clear-eyed understanding of the People’s Republic of China;

• Lower the temperature and possibility of direct armed conflict with Beijing;

When political leaders on both sides of the Pacific state publicly their mistrust towards the other, people-to-people exchange and communications become more important than ever. Asian Americans are ideally suited to act as cultural interpreters and relationship managers to increase understanding and mitigate misinterpretation, not just between US and China, but between US and all parts of Asia. The reality is that all Asian countries recognize China’s growing role in the region, and all Asian countries want a continued American presence in Asia. The fast-evolving US-China and US-Asia relationships can be facilitated by Asian Americans.

During the summit, both President Biden and President Xi spoke in support of US-China people-to-people exchange and communications. We believe we can do more in actively encouraging and supporting such, especially in light of the deterioration in bilateral relations and isolation from the last three years of pandemic lockdowns. Specific actions should include but are not limited to:

• The reinstatement of the Fulbright Scholarship to China;

• Increased air flights between US and China;

• Clear guidelines and encouragement of academic and civil society exchanges;

The words of our political leaders matter. The Biden Administration has done admirable work in speaking up against anti-Asian hate and violence and delineating the differences between Chinese Americans, the Chinese people, and the Chinese Communist Party. Yet enacted and proposed alien land legislations across multiple states illustrate the ongoing hysteria over China and perceived Chinese espionage. Our political leaders must speak up.

• Chinese Americans, and by extension Asian Americans, are not national security liabilities. We are national security assets who have contributed mightily to the making of our country and to our deepening ties with the fastest growing region on the planet;

• Asian Americans should be celebrated and utilized for our unique expertise and insights, instead of being feared, suspected, and scorned;

• We specifically ask that Asian American community leaders have a seat at the table, when political and diplomatic language concerning US-China and US-Asia is crafted. Specific actions include AAPI advisory groups to the US Department of State and US Department of Justice.

“We have seen the rise in anti-Asian hate and violence in the past three years due to the deterioration in relations between the US and China. Asian Americans must have a seat at the table as America continues to advance its interests and values in this most important bilateral relationship of our generation,”  said Zheng Huang, Co-Chair of the AAPI Victory Fund US-Asia Working Group.

Mankind stands at a critical juncture in which we have the technology to re-make who we are, our environment, and our relations to each other. Yet the same technologies can wreak havoc on our lives, our environment, and destroy our planet. Climate change, nuclear proliferation, artificial intelligence, global pandemic, and other matters of utmost importance to humanity cannot be tackled without the effective communication and collaboration between the US and China.

To chart the path for peaceful co-existence and collaboration between the US and China in the long term, patriotic Asian Americans can play a substantive role in answering these defining questions of our times, helping to make America a safer and more prosperous home for all.