It's a belated apology of 141 years: UCA president

By Gan Tian, Meng Xiangjun, Guan Na, Mo Honge

(ECNS) -- The White House statement about the Chinese Exclusion Act is the first formal condemnation in 141 years, a belated apology more than a century overdue, said Haipei Shue, president of the United Chinese Americans (UCA), during an interview with China News Service.

In a White House official release Sunday, U.S. President Joe Biden said the Chinese Exclusion Act, enacted in 1882, was a measure that “weaponized our immigration system to discriminate against an entire ethnic group.”

“Our nation was founded on the fundamental idea that we are created equal and deserve to be treated equally. But for 61 years, the Chinese Exclusion Act failed to live up to that promise,” Biden admitted.

Shue said his friends' parents, especially the generation of his grandparents, were all affected by the Chinese Exclusion Act. "They either couldn't reunite with their families or faced various forms of discriminatory treatment after arriving in the U.S.," he recalled.

Even 80 years after the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act, overseas Chinese still face significant discrimination in the U.S., with a notable increase of related incidents in recent years.

In recent years, U.S. politicians have become extremely polarized, leading to an increase in discrimination and even incidents of harm against overseas Chinese, said Shue.

Chinese Americans in the U.S. will never forget the pain from over a century ago," Shue said. "The harm caused by the Chinese Exclusion Act to them is immense and enduring, and the resulting inequality is notorious."

The adverse effects linger, like a wound caused by the racist policies in the U.S. It is repeatedly reopened, making it difficult to heal, Shue noted.

He pointed out that some U.S. politicians have repeatedly hyped up anti-China issues for their private interests, while some U.S. states are even trying to pass laws restricting Chinese people from buying land. In Shue's view, all kinds of similar actions are tantamount to "Version 2.0 of the Chinese Exclusion Act."

Overseas Chinese in the United States should unite and take action to eliminate racial discrimination and safeguard their rights, he added. 

The Chinese Exclusion Act, signed into law by then-president Chester A. Arthur, put a 10-year moratorium on Chinese labor immigration. It additionally prevented Chinese immigrants from becoming naturalized citizens.