Speaking in an interview with FNA, Jones said, “The bitterness for so many Americans over the failure of 'the American Dream' has often been taken out on the latest category of immigrants. And this has led to heightened racial tensions, not only against American blacks, who have always been discriminated against regardless of how many generations their families have been here, but also against the latest batch of immigrants, now largely non-Caucasian.’
William Jones is the Washington Bureau Chief for the Executive Intelligence Review and a non-resident fellow of Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China. He has studied China and the Eurasian Landbridge in recent 20 years. He has been researching China’s Belt and Road Initiative for nearly a decade.
Below is the full text of the interview:
Q: In the US, there has been a rise in hate crimes against Asians since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Why is that the case?
A: The hate crimes against Asian-Americans has no doubt been promoted by the tremendous anti-China bias exhibited by both the Trump and now the Biden Administrations. People do not understand China and therefore they do not understand Chinese culture. It appears alien to many Americans. And unfortunately, the closing of the Confucius Institutes and the increased restrictions on Chinese citizens coming to the US has inhibited Americans from acquiring a greater understanding of China and the Chinese.
Q: Do you believe addressing the gun culture in the US could result in a lower rate of hate crimes against Asians?
A: The gun culture in the United States is a perennial problem, that is simply getting worse. Many people and many legislators have wanted to do things to restrict the proliferation of guns, in particular, automatic weapons, with mixed results. The fact that the “right to bear arms” is in the US Constitution also makes it difficult to make any sweeping changes in the legislation without changes in the Constitution, which would be a very lengthy and difficult process to accomplish – and probably a non-starter.
But it would perhaps not have much of an effect on the number of hate crimes, only the way they would be perpetrated. This is more of a cultural and educational issue and would require improving the cultural and social climate in the US as well as an improvement in economic conditions, which have deteriorated through the years causing more hardship and bitterness among the population.
Q: The American Dream which promotes economic opportunities for all, including immigrants, is publicized, but the US’s culturally embedded racism is concealed. How do you view this matter?
A: The US has traditionally always been open to immigrants. “Nation of Immigrants” has been its designation for many years. Yet none of the immigrants have had an easy time with it, and integrating fully into US society often took years, even decades, and usually only with the emergence of the “second generation” or “third generation” of those families. It has always been a fight for each new group of immigrants, and the ideal has often paled in the light of the reality. During recent years the notion itself has come under direct attack. Part of this is due to the worsening conditions for the lower 90% of the population, and the bitterness for so many Americans over the failure of “the American Dream” has often been taken out on the latest category of immigrants. And this has led to heightened racial tensions, not only against American blacks, who have always been discriminated against regardless of how many generations their families have been here, but also against the latest batch of immigrants, now largely non-Caucasian.
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