Charles Kirtley

cek100248@hotmail.com

LAST month I returned to Shenzhen after living almost exactly a year in the United States recovering from an illness. According to much of the American news media and several contacts in Shenzhen, Chinese people were turning increasingly xenophobic, and foreigners were less welcome than before. But the trepidation I felt as I boarded the plane to Hong Kong has proved to be unfounded.

On the ground, there is no sign of this cultural shift toward xenophobia. When I hobbled up to the newsstand a couple of blocks from my house, the woman who runs it had a Shenzhen Daily and a Global Times out waiting for me. Though she doesn’t speak a word of English, and I barely speak a word of Mandarin, it was clear we were like old friends meeting after a long absence.

While Westerners will get stared at in more remote parts of the city, this is by no means a sign of hostility. It is more likely simple curiosity.

I tried to enter a cafe a couple of days ago, but was unable to navigate the three steps up to the entrance. A waiter I did not know came out to help me up, and later, down the stairs.

In China, rumors of rising xenophobia have spread as a result of incidents involving foreigners behaving badly in Beijing, and allegations of xenophobia that followed a rant made by television host Yang Rui.

On the other side, there are American politicians who are forever posturing against China for producing goods for less money than they can be made for in America. They try to vilify the Chinese for “stealing” American jobs. They threaten to levy tariffs on Chinese-made goods so it will become economically feasible to produce them in the United States again. Last year, unsuccessful presidential candidate Donald Trump accused China of “raping” American businesses.

This, of course, is complete rubbish. Adding a large tariff on goods made in China will only hurt American consumers. The jobs will not return to the United States. Instead they will move to India, Bangladesh, or Vietnam.

When the Chinese Government hears this kind of political rhetoric it responds with similar threats to tax American goods. But most of this turns out to be an idle threat.

The Chinese Government is starting a crackdown on foreigners who overstay their visas or are working here illegally. But this need not be labeled a xenophobic move. If you take the word “foreigner” out of Yang Rui’s rant, then it is mostly an anticrime rant, and illegal immigrants are criminals who should be dealt with. Any foreigner who obeys the local laws and customs is unlikely to encounter any problems.

Having spent time in both countries, I say little has changed in relations between the American and Chinese people. Chinese people are as wonderful, thoughtful and friendly as people anywhere. The media of both countries suggesting a rising hostility reinforces a quote made by Kirk Douglas’ unscrupulous journalist in “Ace In The Hole:” “Bad news sells best and good news is no news.”

(The author is a retired American businessman who lives in Shenzhen.)