Siva Yam, President of the U.S.-China Chamber of Commerce
The recent surge in violence against Asians in America has raised concerns about how we can all live and work together. We stand in solidarity with other groups in condemning intolerance, hatred and violence against the Asian community...
I trust that everyone is safe and doing well during this extraordinarily challenging time. The recent surge in violence against Asians in America has raised concerns about how we can all live and work together. We stand in solidarity with other groups in condemning intolerance, hatred and violence against the Asian community. The present situation seems to be part of a broader scourge of racism and hatred afflicting many of our communities across America and must be addressed urgently.
During my 20-year tenure as President of the U.S.-China Chamber of Commerce, I have witnessed other instances of anti-Chinese anger and hatred, which tend to recur from time to time, particularly when we market our annual U.S.-China Trade Conference. This conference often occasions hundreds of unfriendly e-mail messages. We understand not everyone is happy with the trajectory that U.S.-China trade and political relations have taken in recent decades. Nevertheless, we always take an understanding approach, emphasizing that it is our organization’s fundamental mission to help American companies and workers benefit from stronger trade and investment with China. At the same time, we have always worked to promote social and racial harmony in our community. For example, we have been honored to sponsor a Benefits Gala Awards Dinner for the National Council of Negro Women, Inc. (www.ncnw.org) to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS, to host the U.S.-China-Japan Automotive Conference, to work with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and to support Operation Confidence, an organization that advocates for disabled and homeless veterans, among many other fine organizations. Although our contributions to promoting justice, equality and tolerance are relatively small, we are proud of being part of the process and remain firmly committed to providing a positive platform for open discussion and engagement among various groups with the aim of overcoming misunderstandings born of cultural and racial differences. We urge you to continue to support our mission during these challenging times.