"I Don't Think It Can Solve Any Problems": Chinese International Students' Perceptions of Racial Justice Movements During COVID-19

This article examines how Chinese international students perceived U.S. racial justice movements, such as Black Lives Matter and Stop Asian Hate protests, given the sociopolitical context of U.S.-China geopolitical tensions, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the surging tides of anti-Asian racism and violence. Through semistructured interviews and follow-up exchanges with 21 Chinese international undergraduate students at a U.S. public research university, this article argues that students' understanding of grassroots racial justice movements is jointly shaped by their political socialization in mainland China and by their observation of the United States' lack of explicit action to dismantle racism and discrimination. Both of these are in turn mediated by these students' elite social status. More specifically, the research finds that Chinese students perceive United States' racial justice activism as merely an emotional outlet, which cannot address racial inequality and social injustice in multiracial America. The research further indicates that, despite being racialized in the United States, Chinese students do not show much interest in fighting against racism and xenophobia. This article contributes a transnational perspective and intersectional analysis of how Chinese international students with different valued social statuses-as both economic elites and racialized others-understand racial tensions and class struggles in the United States.