What Eileen Gu and Gang Chen’s fates reveal about the ‘sin’ of being Chinese-American

Freeskier Gu has been vilified for her decision to represent China in sporting competitions, while MIT scientist Chen was targeted by federal prosecutors under a programme to root out espionage
The double standards applied to them because of their ethnicity hurt American interests – and advance China’s ambition to draw global talent

Winston Mok

Published: 6:45am, 9 Mar 2022

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“Golden Girl” Eileen Gu did not disappoint, clinching two golds and one silver medal for China at the Winter Olympics. In contrast to the adulation she received in China, however, the freeskier was criticised in her birthplace, the United States, and even called out as “ungrateful” and a “traitor”.

Less noticed, but perhaps more important, was the recent vindication of China-born Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Gang Chen, a naturalised US citizen, when the US Justice Department dropped charges against him relating to ties with China. The China Initiative which targeted Chen will be discontinued and absorbed into a larger programme.

The divergent fates of these two accomplished Asian-Americans – born in the US and China – heralds a new era of international talent flow. Today, it is not necessarily the successful immigrant to the US who fares better, a situation which would have defied imagination a few decades ago.

Unlike the almost universal support Chen has received from Asian-Americans and fellow academics, Gu has faced broad criticism, partly shaped by the perception of her “selling out”. Her citizenship status will remain another sticking point, unless China revises its citizenship law to allow dual citizenship.

01:29

Eileen Gu wins her second Olympic gold medal after dominating the half-pipe final

Why is Gu seen as a traitor when athletes and coaches switch flags all the time? China-born table tennis players competed for the US in Beijing 2008. Canadian skater Vanessa James represented her birthplace in this year’s Winter Olympics but previously competed for the UK and France in international competitions. She is a British and French citizen and a US permanent resident.

It is not as if Gu’s development is entirely a result of her growing up in the US. In the capitalist country, it was Gu’s mother who financed her training as a child. The US does not have a unique edge in winter sports. Gu could have developed her skills if she had been raised in Norway or Switzerland.

So why was Gu singled out? It is perhaps the confluence of three factors: she is successful, she represented China and she attracted lucrative sponsorships.

02:19

How Beijingers view Eileen Gu: Olympic medallist embraced by fans and over 23 brands in China

First, there were other Chinese-Americans in China’s Winter Olympics squad, but none as successful and visible as Gu. They received scant attention. American-born and US-trained Hailey Kops represented Israel in pair figure skating, and few noticed. Even if Kops were to be as successful as Gu, it would be far less of a scandal – which brings us to the second point.

If US-born Gu had represented Canada or the UK, it would not have been such an affront. But Gu was representing an “enemy state”. Why are Chinese-Americans held to a different standard than other athletes with multiple nationalities?

Eileen Gu and the astonishing ignorance and arrogance of her American critics

Born half-Chinese, is Gu obliged to speak out against “human rights violations” in China? How come this does not apply to athletes who to compete for Israel, for example?

The Xinjiang and Hong Kong issues are immensely complex, and cannot be easily reduced to moralistic simplifications as they are in the Western media. What good would Gu do by pontificating on these matters other than to satisfy Western self-righteousness?

01:45

Protesters in the US rally against Beijing Winter Olympics hours before its opening ceremony

Perhaps the greatest criticism Gu has faced is for being financially motivated in her choice. However, don’t people migrate to the US to seek a better economic future for themselves and their children? So what’s wrong with some choosing to seek greener pastures elsewhere?

Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin renounced his US citizenship and lives in Singapore. Singer and actor Wang Leehom, recently divorced and disgraced, made a much greater fortune in China than he could have in the US.

Some US entrepreneurs choose China for their start-ups as Shenzhen has a better ecosystem for hardware innovation. Many more will choose to domicile their businesses outside the US to gain access to the Chinese market in view of Washington’s technology embargoes against China.

It is difficult, and presumptuous, to judge someone else’s motivations. But who can fault Gu for taking a path that maximises her potential – in social impact as well as economic value? She single-handedly propelled China to third place, surpassing the US, in terms of the number of gold medals at Beijing 2022. And monetary gains need not to be inconsistent with achieving the greater good. That’s the very basis of capitalism.

It would appear that Gu and Chen’s greatest “sin” is to be a Chinese-American in the current US political climate. They are judged harshly in ways that would not apply to their peers but for their ethnicity.

Such double standards hurt American interests – and advance China’s ambition to draw global talent. Chen previously advised his peers against taking the fruits of their research outside the US. After his ordeal, Chen said he is not so sure now.

World prosperity hinges on the US-China relationship. Not only can Chinese -Americans play a unique bridging role, they can often create the most value – for the world as much as themselves – by straddling both countries.

In the process of demonising China, US society runs the risk of vilifying some of its most talented citizens, who happen to be Chinese-Americans. While distressing for them at the personal level, the greater tragedy is their being held back from contributing their best in an unnecessarily dichotomised world.

Winston Mok, a private investor, was previously a private equity investor