May 13, 2020 - World

College Democrats and Republicans denounce racism and CCP

Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian

democrat donkey and republican elephant — Illustration: Lazaro Gamio/Axios

The bipartisan consensus on China may have fallen apart in Washington, but it's still going strong on American campuses.

What's happening: Dozens of leading members of both the College Republican National Committee and the College Democrats of America, representing universities in more than 45 states, have released a joint letter today that calls for the permanent closure of Chinese government-funded Confucius Institutes on all U.S. campuses, protections for students and campus groups that are vulnerable to Chinese government coercion, and condemnation of anti-Asian racism.

What they're saying: "The Chinese Communist Party’s actions pose an immense threat to academic freedom and to human dignity. It is imperative that we distinguish this totalitarian regime from the Chinese people, whom we must steadfastly defend from abhorrent acts of xenophobia, racism, and hatred."

Why it matters: Young people are showing Congress it's possible to denounce both China's authoritarianism and anti-Chinese racism in America at the same time.

Go deeper: Chinese Communist Party leaders have already fully embraced the "new Cold War"

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College Democrats and Republicans denounce racism and CCP

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