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Updated Tuesday, November 17, 2009 10:01 am TWN, By Jesse Washington, AP

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Chinese-Americans see Obama's China trip in unique light

Yet many Chinese-Americans fear that China's rise could create a backlash. They still have painful memories of Vincent Chin, the Chinese-American beaten to death in 1982 by two unemployed Detroit autoworkers as Japanese cars were beginning to decimate the American auto industry.

“That kind of hate crime, senseless hate crimes, would happen if the countries' relations are not very good. So on a personal level, Chinese-Americans are always very anxious,” said Min Zhou, a sociology professor at UCLA and author of “Contemporary Chinese America.” “

As China's economy has grown, she said, “sometimes I would hear people say, even jokingly, 'Oh, you're taking our jobs away.' When I hear this, I feel, 'Who am I? I'm American.'”

Chinese-Americans also are acutely aware of China's problems, such as pervasive pollution, widespread rural poverty and repression by the Communist government.

“I don't feel like China is stable. It has so many problems, I feel like it's ready to explode at any time,” said Amy Yuan Zhou, no relation to the professor, a 23-year-old UCLA postgraduate student who moved to America when she was 4.

Those problems have been a longtime source of tension with America, especially with U.S. criticism of China's record on human rights and Chinese retorts about American hypocrisy due to its racial problems.

Now America's first black president is forging a new image of inclusion, which could exert a subtle pressure on China to do the same.

“An African-American president, that itself speaks loud,” said Li, the Brookings scholar. He said a Chinese minister of foreign affairs was asked at a recent press conference if he could imagine a minority as president of China, but did not answer.

Li hoped that Obama's trip could mark a turning point, from American finger-pointing to a more respectful and cooperative exchange: “The 21st-century world requires a constructive relationship.”

Another turning point for some was the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. “The distance between us seemed to shrink,” said UCLA professor Zhou. “That's pretty profound for me.”

“My parents liked seeing Chinese people succeed on a wider stage, especially in athletics,” said Nanci Zhang, the Los Angeles resident. “You and I both know what the Chinese are known for, things like physics and chemistry.”

So which country did she cheer for?

“The better one,” she laughed, without elaborating.

Perhaps she couldn't. America took home the most medals: 110, including 36 golds. China was next with 100 medals — including a leading 51 golds.

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