China Endangers the Diaspora: Diplomat

Covid-19 pandemic costs are immense, as the world heads into recession and unemployment increases. The United States, which may spend as much as $5 trillion to tackle the many challenges, and other nations question China's lack of transparency in late 2019. In turn, China threatens to boycott Australian goods as that government calls for an investigation. The issue has entered political campaigns in the US and Canada with calls for investigations and sanctions. In January, China reached out to its diaspora community to purchase personal protective equipment before many countries realized that they would soon need such supplies. Writing for the Diplomat, Chauncey Jung describes efforts by China’s United Front Work Department to influence campus debates on Hong Kong and even surveil some protest movements. “The efforts by China’s United Front are earning more scrutiny as China adopts a more aggressive diplomatic approach against countries around the world,” Jung writes. Too often, such scrutiny devolves into racism and hatred. “Between persecution from the authoritarian Chinese regime to race-based hatred targeting East Asian communities, individuals of Chinese descent are caught in the escalating geopolitical confrontations between China and the West.” Attempts to manipulate or insult this large, diverse diaspora could backfire. – YaleGlobal