‘Blood is Thicker Than Water’: China’s New Ambassador Calls on Chinese ‘Compatriots’ in U.S. to ‘Serve the Motherland’

By: Philip Lenczycki, Daily Caller News Foundation

China’s new ambassador to the United States called on “fellow compatriots” and “Chinese students” in the U.S. to work with the Chinese Embassy, according to two open letters published by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Tuesday.

On his first day in office, Ambassador Xie Feng asked for the “support” of Chinese “compatriots” in the U.S., and also urged “Chinese students” in the U.S. to “serve the motherland,” according to two open letters written in English on the Chinese Embassy’s website. Xie called on both groups to serve as “bridges” between the U.S. and China to improve flailing bilateral relations.

“Blood is thicker than water,” Xie’s open letter to “fellow compatriots” states. “Your support, involvement and contribution would be most valuable.”

Not only is Xie’s letter to “fellow compatriots” written in English, but another indication that its intended audience is Chinese-Americans is that it includes an invitation to visit China.

“A China marching toward modernity is a boon to the Chinese people and to countries across the world,” Xie’s letter states. “You are most welcome to visit China often to experience the progress of the country and find opportunities there for self-fulfillment.”

Although Xie’s second open letter to “Chinese students” is also written in English, it appears to be directed to Chinese nationals studying abroad in the U.S., given that it states students had to overcome “a lot of difficulties” by “traveling across the Pacific.”

“The Chinese Dream of great national rejuvenation can only be realized with the hard work of generation after generation of young people,” Xie’s letter to “Chinese students” states.

Xie — who is a member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the former vice minister of foreign affairs — succeeds Qin Gang, whose tenure as Chinese ambassador to the U.S. ended in December 2022, according to Chinese government records.

Xie’s tenure as Chinese ambassador to the U.S. begins as only 15% of Americans hold a favorable view of China, which is the lowest in recorded history, according to a March 2023 Gallup poll.

By contrast, the poll states that 34% of Americans held a favorable view of China in August 1989 in the fallout of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, during which the Chinese government slaughtered as many as 10,000 pro-democracy protesters, according to the former British ambassador to China, Sir Alan Donald.

U.S.-China relations have experienced a precipitous decline under General Secretary Xi Jinping who came into power in 2012 and secured an unprecedented third term in October 2022.

Xi’s reign has been marred by a series of alarming reports from within the communist nation, including evidence that China is committing genocide against ethnic minorities in the western province of Xinjiang and that COVID-19 may have leaked from a lab in Wuhan.

At the same time, China’s international activities have also come under increased scrutiny recently in light of massive Chinese military “rehearsals” for a potential Taiwan invasion, alleged Chinese government police stations in the U.S. as well as Chinese spy balloons traversing the American heartland.

The Chinese Embassy did not respond immediately to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.