Opinion | From anti-Asian hate to US-China tensions, Chinese students in America have much to grapple with
- New York’s first murder of 2024 – an Asian man – is a reminder of the spectre of violence facing immigrants
- However, without more direct contact between the youngest and brightest from China and US, the outlook for better relations is bleak
A few hours after the ball fell in Times Square marking the start of 2024, the US’ biggest city witnessed its first murder – involving a 29-year-old Asian resident. According to police, a bar fight in Queens spilled into the street where Tsering Wangdu, who came to the US from Nepal, and a friend were stabbed by an unknown assailant who fled. Neighbours and friends told the Daily News tabloid that Wangdu was a hard-working Uber driver, keen to help Asian orphans, a model immigrant trying to make it in the big city.
As foreign students finalise their applications to Columbia, New York University and other US educational institutions, hoping to gain acceptance in the autumn, the spectre of America’s violence weighs heavily.
I grew up in New York when the city was a mess and crime rates were soaring. I was mugged several times, generally involving small sums or my bus pass, although they didn’t feel small at the time. Later, reporting in places like Afghanistan and Iraq, those hard-won street smarts rather perversely proved useful when a heightened awareness for trouble prompted some quick departures, even without understanding the language.
