Chinese international students experience backlash in both the U.S. and China

Passengers lined up and prepared to board the flight back to China.
Chinese citizens, most of whom international students, were lining up at Incheon International Airport to board the flight back home, the only one in a week. (Amy Ouyang/MEDILL)

By Amy Ouyang
Medill Reports

Since the start of the global pandemic, Chinese international students studying in the United States feel their identity has made them a target of aggression in both the United States and in China. In the U.S., the assumed close association between the virus and China often leads to discrimination against Chinese international students and Asian Americans. At the same time, in China, their decision to return home often meets with sharp criticism from their fellow Chinese citizens as the country gradually recovers from the impact of the pandemic.

Amy Ouyang is a social justice reporter at Medill. You can follow her on Twitter at @Hanyue_Ouyang.