Texas governor's orders have local Chinese worried

It was done in the name of protecting more than 250,000 Chinese descendants living in Texas. Yet the three executive orders targeting China issued by Texas Governor Greg Abbott about a week ago brought a sense of anxiety and uncertainty to many Chinese Americans living in Texas.

One of the orders targeted individuals "preying on dissidents on the behalf of any foreign adversary", another ordered a task force be formed to counter potential threats to Texas infrastructure from China, and the third outlined details to prohibit state agencies from engaging in business and research and exchanges with Chinese entities with ties to the Chinese government.

Colleges and research institutes are forbidden to enter new contracts or renew existing agreements with entities either owned or governed by the Chinese government.

All employees of Texas public institutes and agencies are prohibited from accepting gifts from such entities or conducting business trips to China, the order decreed.

If traveling to China for personal reasons, the employee is required to notify the agency "prior to their travel and submit a post-travel brief outlining details of the trip, including the dates and purpose of the travel."

In addition, state agencies, including public higher education institutions, are required to have minimum security requirements for new hires as well as for existing employees to remain in positions key to critical infrastructure.

One Chinese American, who is in her 40s and only wanted to be identified as Wendy, has been working at a Texas state agency for almost a decade.

"I do visit China once every couple of years to see my parents who live there. Now I would have to file notice before I see my parents and tell them what I have done in China after the trip. That would make me feel untrusted and insulted. It's an invasion to my privacy on the part of the state government," Wendy said.

"I am very angry over this executive order, but I am also afraid and dare not to speak out openly," Wendy continued, adding that she's considering switching her job to the private sector to avoid this "unfair treatment".

Following the announcement of Abbott's executive orders, Mosaic Paradigm Law Group, a Houston law firm, published an analysis of the potential impact of those orders.

"Companies with ties to the Chinese government will face more restrictions entering the Texas market, and interaction between some Chinese enterprises and Texas government and public higher education institutions will be negatively impacted," said the analysis, calling the executive orders "full of flaws and short-sighted".

In addition, Chinese companies operating in Texas will face higher costs of compliance to ensure their activities follow the new regulations.

The analysis said the documents required for personal travel to China means individuals will have to spend more time and energy to file paperwork, thus reducing their desire to travel to China.

The prohibition of exchanges between higher education institutions between Texas and China will negatively impact Texas' innovation and academic research, the analysis said.

"This executive order reflects broader tensions in Sino-US relations and may lead to a decline in confidence among many impacted Chinese companies in investing in the United States, thus having a negative impact on the atmosphere of bilateral trade and cooperation," the analysis said.

Another Chinese American, who only want to be identified as Mr. Liu, said these executive orders are going to have a long-lasting chilling effect on the Chinese American community in Texas. Liu is a lecturer and researcher at a Texas public university.

"The executive orders say that the state wants to protect Chinese Americans in Texas. Aren't all Americans protected by the Constitution already? Why did the governor say that Chinese Americans need special protection?" Liu asked. "On the contrary, many of my fellow Chinese Americans and I feel threatened by these orders rather than protected because we are being singled out for having ties to China."

Liu said the executive orders violate American values. "People have to report to the government about personal travel! What has happened to personal liberty and freedom?" Liu asked.