News: Asia

Chinese Dialogue On Racism Emerges

Hat tip to readeer Dragon Horse for this one. U.S. President Barack Obama's first state visit to China comes as Chinese are, for the first time, engaging in unusual public dialogue about racism in their country. In recent months, several incidents involving the children of Chinese mothers and black fathers have sparked a vigorous debate on what it means to be Chinese. More than 90% of the population is ethnic Han Chinese, and there is still little public discussion of the underlying tensions that sparked anti-Han ethnic riots among Tibetans last year and among Uighurs this year. Although China has a history of racial incidents involving ethnic-African expatriates - from large protests targeting African students in the city of Nanjing in 1988 to police detentions of young African men in the capital ahead of last year's Beijing Olympics - the existence of racial prejudice within China was almost never talked about.

But as the country's economic might grows, it is attracting more foreigners in search of opportunity, from a 100,000-strong community of African traders in Guangzhou to Middle Eastern traders in the east coast manufacturing town of Yiwu. At the same time, changes from abroad - such as the election of America's first black president and the growing popularity of U.S. black basketball players in China - have challenged entrenched racist stereotypes.

In China's controlled media environment, the public discussion on race and discrimination remains largely limited to foreigners and blacks. The discussion doesn't extend to China's own ethnic minorities, such as Tibetans and Uighurs, who have taken to the streets to air their grievances against Han Chinese.

Tibetan Government Says Willing To Talk To China

The Tibetan government-in-exile said today that it was willing to talk to China after U.S. President Barack Obama called for resumption of dialogue to resolve the Tibet crisis. "The Tibetan government's standing offer is we are open for talks again if China is willing to listen," Karma Chopel, a senior official in the Tibetan government. "The initiative has to come from them, and we are more than willing to talk," he added. Chinese officials and envoys of the Dalai Lama have held eight rounds of talks, but little of substance has been achieved.

The Dalai Lama, dubbed a "splittest" by China, says he merely seeks autonomy for Tibet, which last year had riots and protests against China's presence. President Obama is scheduled to meet the Dalai Lama after his return to Washington, D.C. which China opposes.