American Printed Mass Media: A Study of Chinese American Views on U.S.-China Relations, 1989-2000.

Abstract

Today, there are 2.5 million Chinese Americans and 70 percent of them are immigrants. Despite the differences in national origins, political affiliations, religious, and socioeconomic backgrounds, Chinese Americans have become increasingly interested in and concerned about U.S.-China relations. With the China policy becoming a more important issue in American politics, many people recognize the role that Chinese Americans have in promoting mutual understandings and occasional tensions between the two nations. The study analyzed the published opinion articles and letters to the editor from 1989 through 2000 in 6 mainstream newspaper publications, The Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post. It examined the sentiments of the Chinese American community based on the published views from the national, mainstream newspaper publications and addressed the factors that influence their attitudes. Studying the sentiments of the various publications of Chinese Americans on U.S.-China relations will help the public and policy makers understand this complex issue. It will also contribute broader perspectives for private and public policies between the two countries. Principal Findings: Human Rights, Trade/Economics, and Taiwan are the three top concerns of Chinese Americans.The number of cases where Chinese Americans exhibited critical attitudes toward China is 2 times more than cases of favorable attitudes toward China.The views of Chinese Americans are diverse and multidimensional.