Cathaleen Chen on national identity and the false dichotomy of the U.S. or China

Identity isn’t a matter of foreign policy.  It’s a matter of the heart.  For immigrants like me and first-generation Americans like [Eileen] Gu, the “China or America?” ultimatum poses a false dichotomy.  This reaffirms the notion that expressing love for one’s Chinese culture is akin to signing a blood oath to the CCP, a logical fallacy perpetuated by mainstream media that stokes a vicious cycle of anti-Asian bias and racism, however inadvertent.  Gu is not a pawn in some grand geopolitical strife.  She’s a young woman who grew up straddling two worlds, a feat that I’ll bet is even more complicated than the gravity-defying flips she’ll be performing this week.

~ Cathaleen Chen, "I Used to Feel Guilty Rooting for China. Eileen Gu Vindicated Me.," Cosmopolitan, February 7, 2022