Hopes and fears have soared in the run-up to President Biden’s sit down with China’s leader, Xi Jinpeng, set for Wednesday in San Francisco. Not since the Vietnam War has America’s diplomatic dance with the People’s Republic fractured so many toes.
One ray of hope shines bright — the more than 300,000 Chinese students who attend American universities, signaling the generosity of both governments. These young scholars enliven my classroom and enrich research programs around the country. Many come away with warm affection for America: our free press and raucous debates, our music and movies, even calling professors by their first name.
Still, the backdrop to the Biden-Xi summit remains ominous. In recent months, the U.S. has shot down China’s spy balloon floating across the Midwest, limited technologies exported to Beijing, and implored Xi to push his ally, Iran, to defuse the bloody Israeli-Hamas conflict. Protestors will greet Xi on his arrival to California, spotlighting his oppression of writers and religion.
But the wide panorama of Chinese students in the America — acquainted with both societies — offers fresh lessons. I asked several across the nation hosted by colleagues what hopes these young scholars hold for this week’s Bay Area gathering. Here’s what I heard:
• Yi. Biden should express “deep respect for (Xi’s) family heritage, his father a notable figure in Chinese history (a military hero, then distributed land to rural peasants). He is quite stubborn and firmly believes in his convictions.” Biden should be “eager to advance cooperation with China openly and sincerely (in) the economy, education and health care.”
• Zhang. “Opening markets would be a good thing, the return of Google. When my mother had chemotherapy, the better medicine from the U.S., with fewer side effects, was no longer available.”
• Hui. “Xi emphasizes our confidence in traditional (Confucian) culture, that is, how we view the modernization process with Chinese characteristics. Traditional wisdom emphasizes harmony and development. These are common values (shared by both nations).”
• Li. “The narrative in China is that America is a big bully, intervening into others’ domestic affairs. Maybe nudges are seen as condescending. I very much hope they can build trust.”
• Zixi. “China should avoid misrepresenting or vilifying the U.S. in global discourse. I desire greater collaboration and mutual respect, particularly among younger generations.” America “should invite more Chinese students, perhaps with a tuition discount.”
Overall, the students with whom I spoke revealed a certain savvy, expressing realpolitik over material rivalries. But they also hunger for mutual respect, for Americans to learn about their history and age-old cultural values, such as nurturing harmony and discounting oneself to cooperatively build civil society.
Washington remains obsessed with stratospheric interests, such as selling semiconductors to China, cultivating allies that surround the People’s Republic. White House advisors briefed reporters last week, objectifying the Chinese people, dryly suggesting that Biden seeks to “manage the competition, preventing the downside risk of conflict.”
Instead, these students invite Americans to rise above cultural caricature and grim narratives of geopolitical combat. They yearn to know us better and for us to reach out to them.
Bruce Fuller, a sociologist working on education in East Asia, has taught at UC Berkeley and Harvard for 34 years.