A Study On The Political Participation Of Chinese Americans In The United States

Generally speaking,the influx of Chinese into the United States was in the "gold rush" period in California in the 19 th century.At that time,Chinese workers became the main labor force in the construction of the western United States.However,due to changes in the domestic situation in the United States,hardworking and cheap Chinese workers were excluded from the government and society.Due to the efforts of Chinese Americans,they gained the citizenship of America.As a typical immigrant country,American minorities are regarded as important political subjects of the political system.Through the electoral system,they use the ballots in their hands to achieve political goals and influence the United States’ foreign policy towards their home country.Generally speaking,Minorities with large population,high economic level,and high educational level will have high level of political participation.With the restoration of civil rights,the population of Chinese Americans has grown rapidly,their strength of economic and education has been improved,and their occupational structure has been optimized,but their political influence is not high.This article believes that this phenomenon can be analyzed systematically from three levels: political system rules,political behavior,and political awareness.The political rules are the principles of a country when citizens take part in activities of political participation.At this level,whether or not Chinese Americans live in a concentrated way makes constituency division became one of the limiting factors of their political influence.Restrictions on the voting right in the United States are the reason why some Chinese Americans cannot participate the political elections.At the level of political behavior,candidates need to have a good economic foundation and bear the risk of losing their jobs after a failed election,which hinders Chinese Americans from participating in elections.The differences in the origin and economic level of Chinese Americans have triggered the phenomenon of scattered ballots,which weaken the political cohesion of this group.Political awareness is an inherent factor affecting Chinese Americans participation in politics.In the field of political awareness,Some people do not have enough political motivation or ability to participate political activities.Excluded history and the vigilance against Chinese Americans trigger their political mistrust.In addition,the two external variables（the international environment and Sino-US relations）also have a certain impact on the political participation of Chinese Americans.In recent years,through the joint efforts of elites and political groups,their political awareness and enthusiasm for participating in politics have made much progress.The turnout rate of the Chinese Americans’ communities have improved markedly,and they have adopted a more proactive attitude towards issues involving vital interests.With the development of the group’s awareness of political participation,I believe that Chinese Americans will exert greater political influence to safeguard their rights and interests.