Precarity of East Asian Women as China Watchers

• The Chinese Communist Party has long used the “Chinese” identity to assert control over diverse communities, especially those who do not self-identify as Chinese — such as Tibetans, Uyghurs, Hong Kongers, and Taiwanese folks. This is why I chose to use “East Asian women” as an overarching term.
• Anti-Asian Misogyny is an intersection of oppression experienced by Asian women, femmes, and gender non-conforming individuals.

TRIGGER WARNING: misogyny & sexism, gender-based violence, sexualized violence, harassment & bullying

Before we dive in, I take this opportunity to thank the China watchers I have met. I have always adapted to survive in spaces that violently reject me, but it was made easier by allies and peers who have been incredibly supportive.

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In the past two years, my work with Hong Kong advocacy led me to the global network of activists, scholars, researchers who have focused their work in critical examination of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and People’s Republic of China (PRC), commonly deemed as “China watchers”.

There are countless East Asian women China experts who hold lived experiences and extensive knowledge over a wide range of topics, but yet the China discourse continues to be dominated by non-Sino/Chinese identifying individuals and men. I find myself puzzled and frustrated: why do white men continue to dominate the discussion over the voices of East Asian women?

Let’s be real.

Some white cishet men have built their careers by occupying top-level positions that could otherwise be held by survivors of the regime who are equally, if not more qualified than them.

Even though most have warmly welcomed new voices to enter the China watching space, but it does not change the systemic exclusion of East Asian women.

Let’s look at the (poorly) hidden layers of misogyny that East Asian women are forced to navigate as China watchers:

The Chinese Communist Party’s Deployment of Misogyny

China watchers are familiar with the CCP’s attempts to silence and discredit those whoexposed the ugly reality of the authoritarian regime. Many feminists have identified the CCP as a misogynistic and sexist regime that has benefited from gendered exploitation and oppression of its citizens.

The CCP deploys misogyny and gender-based violence to attack East Asian women outside of the PRC. Paired with the patriarchal and traditional conceptions of womanhood in East Asian cultures, the weaponization of sex and gender to attack East Asian women is both strategic and deliberate.

Slut-shaming, sex-shaming, rape threats, fabricated sex stories, malicious leaks of fake photos — these are only some of the tactics used to smear East Asian women China watchers. There are no words that fully capture the fear and horror one feels as the recipient of these gendered attacks. Many East Asian women have already experienced varying severity of gendered attacks from state actors and pro-CCP trolls.

Utilizing existing media and propaganda infrastructures, CCP state actors can influence and mobilize the Chinese public to participate in online harassment against specific individuals/organizations. We have seen how devastating these attack campaigns can be.

When East Asian women enter into the public eye as a China watcher, we must first confront the violent reality: once we enter this space, our gender, sexuality, and bodies may be used against us. The CCP’s threats, whether ongoing or potential, remain to be a strong deterrence for East Asian women to freely participate in public discussions about China and the CCP.

Systemic & Institutionalized Misogyny

Systemic and institutionalized misogyny (here, there, and anywhere) manifests as the wage gap, uneven distribution of domestic labour, micro-aggressions, gender-based violence, sexualized violence, etc.

Needless to say but let me be clear: the China-watching networks are not free from anti-Asian misogyny.

There is no shortage of strong East Asian China experts, but East Asian women continue to be underrepresented in the media, advocacy spaces, and policy discussions about China. We may work twice as hard as our peers, but the accomplishments of (particularly young) East Asian women will never match the public’s perceptions of our white and/or men peers — despite their mediocre performances.

Survivors of the CCP regime are denied recognition for their expertise. The active dismissal of lived experiences as illegitimate knowledge is used to discredit East Asian women and survivors.

Many China watchers, particularly white men, have defended their positions in the spotlight. They believe that their work is to speak for those who are unheard by the public. I find this excuse to be incredibly offensive and contributing to the cycle of violence perpetrated by the CCP.

Even when muffled by layers of misogyny and oppression, they have a voice — they are simply not heard.

Lateral Violence

I saved the best part for last: lateral violence.

Not only is lateral violence a gatekeeping mechanism, it is also built from the existing systems of oppression. There is no way to simplistically label lateral violence as ageist or sexist. Instead, we should understand lateral violence from the power imbalances inherited from the existing systems of oppression.

During the preparations to launch Alliance Canada Hong Kong (ACHK), I reached out to existing organizations and organizers as a part of the community outreach efforts. In these conversations, I was pressed by established organizers to halt ACHK’s launch.

The older generation of Hong Kong organizers lectured me about my inexperience, deemed that ACHK will be incapable to make meaningful change, and my efforts are better spent working for them. Ultimately, they assumed that they knew better and I should be revering their decades of experience.

When I rejected their proposals, it was clear that they were unhappy. I brushed it off and thought to myself: focus on ACHK’s research and advocacy, we will gain the trust of these community leaders.

Reality is harsh.

These organizers used active exclusion to keep us from community networks, ACHK’s campaigns and projects were discredited and undermined — all in attempts for them to claim credit and establish themselves as the sole authority on Hong Kong issues.

~hello big stage ideologies~

These are not isolated incidents in the Hong Kong network. While I have chosen to distance myself from these bullies, I have witnessed countless incidents of lateral violence against other young diasporic and overseas Hong Konger organizers by established organizers. Even the well-known and respected young Hong Konger activists are recipients of lateral violence.

I choose to not name these bullies, but it is critical to our movement to call out their toxic behaviours.

Whether in the Hong Kong community, China-watching network, or any other spaces, lateral violence is commonly used to maintain the bullies’ relative power within a social group. They employ bullying tactics to discredit their peers, whom they see as a threat or nuisance.

anyone recall that mediocre white dude calling me a grifter & obsessively subtweet me and other East Asian women dissidents?

ugh. Gross.

I rather face the CCP’s wrath than dealing with lateral violence — it hurts to be targetted by your own community. Bullying, harassment, alienation, sabotage — these are the behaviours and tactics of the oppressive authority we are fighting against.

In our road to liberation, we must not continue the cycle of violence.

Final Thoughts

I hoped this would be short and snappy, but turns out I had a lot of thoughts about the ongoing racist and misogyny that China watchers experience.

The alienation of East Asian women in the China-watching space must stop. Without the perspectives and participation of diverse communities, the China discourse is limited by the narrow demographics of people who have long dominated the discussion.

TLDR: anti-Asian misogyny in the China watching circles manifested itself as CCP-sanctioned misogyny, institutionalized & systemic misogyny, and lateral violence.

With a monochromic network of China watchers, they will produce a monochromic view of the CCP and its occupied territories.

Liberation from the CCP must be an anti-racist and feminist liberation. The CCP’s authoritarianism is built from its patriarchal and Han-supremacist foundations. This is why we need anti-racist feminists in the China space to help us critically examine the CCP, and actively challenge the conversations happening in this largely white and/or men-dominated network.

We must look inward and ask: how can we create a safer and more engaging space for East Asian women to thrive?