Chinese communities rejoice in win

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By Mai Ya (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-11-06 07:17

ATHENS, Ohio -- Barack Obama's election as the first minority president of the United States has won wide support from Chinese immigrants and students, most of whom say they identified most with the Black American leader.

The majority of the growing Chinese student population in the US, like their American peers, view Obama as a breath of fresh air in Washington DC - and did not even attempt to disguise their preference for this man in their blogs or daily conversations.

In the crucial swing state of Ohio, many Chinese students, who do not have the right to vote, joined Americans in parties supporting Obama on election night.

Zhou Shu, a PhD student in chemistry at Ohio University, was one of them. "I am so happy seeing Obama win Ohio, and nationwide," she said. "The more I know about him, the more I believe he will be the right person to lead the US."

The same feelings were shared in Virginia, where Victoria Lin, a Chinese financial analyst who moved to the US six years ago, attended an Obama campaign the night before the election. "Many Chinese were there," she said, adding that Obama's election is "the American dream really coming true".

Lin said she expects Obama to "understand the beauty of diversity" and commit himself to building partnerships rather than destroying them.

"It doesn't mean he will be more friendly to Chinese," she said. "But he has a clearer idea of globalization and the US being part of it."

Lani Wong, chair of the National Association of Chinese-Americans (Atlanta), said she was happy to see Obama win, too.

"He sounded like very much pro-small business, and many Chinese Americans are in small and medium businesses, which will help their business development and create many jobs in the community," said Wong, who has lived in the US for more than 30 years.

Another Chinese group hailing the new US president comprises a large number of scholars and researchers.

Jingguang Chen, a professor of chemical engineering at University of Delaware who has lived in the US for 25 years, expressed full support to Obama, saying that his leadership will mean more funding for scientific research, particularly in environmental and alternative energy studies.

"It will benefit us (Chinese researchers in the US) as well as attract more Chinese students to the US, I believe," he said.

Li Jieli, a professor of sociology at Ohio University, believes the new presidency will have a more far-reaching effect on the Chinese-American community.

"Obama's election will stimulate more enthusiasm and confidence among Chinese, and Asians in general, in participating in political issues.

"Obama's election has sent a strong signal that minorities' political status has seen great improvement, and Asians, who used to be inactive politically, will have the chance to be recognized by the mainstream US society."

However, Maggie Zhang, a Virginia-based research and evaluation specialist, added that Obama may be more cautious in making policies regarding minorities because of his ethnicity.

The latest US national census shows that Asians in the country totaled 15.2 million, or 5 percent, in 2007. And a recent projection by the Census Bureau says that by 2042, minority Americans will outnumber whites, and have more say in political and economic issues.

Despite overwhelming praise for the new president, many Chinese in the US also agree that relations with China will not see a great change in the near future as Obama will be preoccupied with the financial crisis.