Rep. Judy Chu Says Inflammatory China Rhetoric Can Hurt Asian Americans

Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., spoke about the connection between anti-China rhetoric and anti-Asian violence at a launch event Wednesday for a new institute dedicated to the late Vincent Chin.

“Already, Asian Americans have been suffering three years of anti-Asian hate due to Trump calling Covid-19 ‘China virus’ and ‘kung flu,’” she said. “But now, the rhetoric and tension about the U.S.-China relationship comes on top of that, potentially escalating that violence. Today, the focus has shifted to extremists engaging in racial profiling of Chinese Americans.”

The Vincent Chin Institute aims to end anti-Asian hate in the U.S. and advance education on Asian American issues. It’s named after a Chinese American man murdered in 1982 by two white auto workers who blamed Asians for layoffs in the industry.

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“Today, over 40 years later, what we learned is that the rhetoric used around economic competition with Asian countries can result in harm and even murder of Asian Americans here at home,” Chu said.

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