Newsletter – June 2020
June 12, 2020
Dear Young China Watchers,
In light of the current wave of protests against structural racism. We begin this letter with a message from YCW leadership.
"The Young China Watchers global community has been as affected and concerned as everyone else by the protests going on around the world, and we stand in solidarity with all of those involved in the fight against racism, injustice, and inequality. We see the murder of George Floyd as a call for action from society to address long-standing, systemic issues of race and division not only in the United States but around the world.
Against the backdrop of the current protests and calls for immediate action in the US and UK in particular, we are keen to find ways of supporting, amplifying, and highlighting the work of underrepresented voices. While the current focus is on people of colour, we have also been very concerned by the racism that has been stirred up against Asians and have long sought to ensure our community is as inclusive as possible. Our global community commits to combating privilege where we see it in the China field and is working to take specific steps to change the world before us, acknowledging that in the past we have sometimes fallen short in these goals. As a diverse community scattered over ten chapters around the world (with a leadership group and membership base that goes far beyond this), this naturally affects all of us in different ways, but we can all empathize with the sense of exclusion and the anger that lies at the root of the protests.
None of us want to live in a world where your ability to succeed is determined by the colour of your skin or ethnicity, and we are all keen to work through our organization to make the world better. If you would like to help us advance these ideals, we would welcome your engagement and ideas."
The 2019 Pulse Survey Report is out!
To reflect the views of its members and chart them over time, Young China Watchers carried out its second annual survey of sentiments towards China in 2019—a significant year for China’s development and its growing influence in the world.
The survey finds that young professionals engaged with China are increasingly polarized and negative in their opinions about China’s influence, especially toward its domestic and external policies. In particular, the survey records a 26% swing in net sentiment toward China’s impact on global affairs, from 9% net positive (35% positive versus 26% negative) in 2018 to 15% net negative (26% positive versus 41% negative) in 2019. Respondents are most positive about China’s global economic impact but are less positive about other countries adopting aspects of China’s model.