What do Chinese students think of U.S. presidential candidates?
Princeton in Asia (@PrincetonInAsia) has given me the opportunity to spend the past year and a half teaching advanced discussion classes at the China Foreign Affairs University in Beijing, the main feeder school into China’s diplomatic corps. This experience has been incredibly enriching, particularly because I’ve come to understand what and how young Chinese people think.
This semester, I have focused on giving my students a better grasp of U.S. politics. Each one of my students had to pick a current or former U.S. presidential candidate or politician to present on and give their opinions on them. For the final, they will have to act as their candidate in a mock primary debate.
Some of their views highlight benefits and problems they see in the U.S. political system, but mostly they showcase each student’s values and the array of political perspectives within China.
Below are my students’ thoughts and funny remarks on U.S. politicians. I slightly edited them for clarity, but I tried to keep them true to what each student originally said. Quotes for the same candidate may come from different people, which is why some quotes may contradict each other.
DEMOCRATS
Joe Biden
“I picked Biden because I agree with a lot of his views. … However, he is not suitable to be president. Over 50% of his statements are either half-false or completely false. He also has a very little [demographic/experiential] advantage [over Clinton and Sanders].”
“I think Joe Biden is a very experienced man on economic issues and foreign relations. He is authentic, he is an honest man. He is not the type of politician who just changes his opinions to win. I think he is a happy soldier.”
Lincoln Chafee
“If nothing else you can say he is very consistent…consistently at a 0.7% support rate.”
“He shared a dorm room with Jeb Bush in high school…he knows all his dirty secrets!”
“In China, if you change your party to the Kuo Min Tang you are a traitor! But in the US this is normal!”
“I like his Prosperity to Peace policy best. It echoes our China’s development principle!”
“He is a decent man and a very successful local professional, but not ready to be president.”
Hillary Clinton
“She embodies the image I have of the US: smart, liberal and strong. But she lacks charisma.”
“I would vote for her because I think she is decisive and she is full of experience and has a complete blueprint for Americans’ future. Even though using private email is making her be attacked by the public, I think she will solve it well and it won’t influence her political future. I think she will become the Lady Thatcher of America.”
Kirsten Gillibrand
“In my opinion, she is very idealistic. At first, she posted a bill about sexual assault in the army and I thought of Claire Underwood from House of Cards, because she did the same. So, I thought they would have the same character, and her bill was just a way to further her agenda. But when I did my research I learned that she put her heart into it, and I respected her more as a politician.”
Lawrence Lessig
“His view is unrealistic because it’s impossible to change the [campaign finance] system thoroughly. Most people are already used to this system and won’t let him change it.”
Martin O’Malley
“I think he is a quite unrealistic person in politics. He is too extreme. Maybe he is too young to succeed this time.”
“I think there is a 99% chance he will fail his campaign but I do not think this is a failure for him. I think that this is a great opportunity to practice his campaign skills. He is quite young and determined. He also has a good political record. His 15 years of governor were full of achievements, showing he has the capabilities to govern a nation. I think he is awesome.”
Bernie Sanders
“I agree with him on social issues but I believe that some of his policies go too far. I think a $15 USD minimum wage will make American workers less competitive compared to Asian and East African workers.”
“As a Chinese socialist I should have to support him… If Sanders was elected and the US became socialist, China will welcome more socialist countries. But I would not vote for him.”
Jim Webb
“He claims that he is not as popular because his appearance is not charming and has low name recognition, but in reality I think it is because of changing demographics in the Democratic Party.”
“I am quite skeptical that he is the pacifist he claims to be.”
“He supports war with other countries and gay marriage, so I don’t agree with him and would not vote for him.”
REPUBLICANS
Jeb Bush
“I would not vote for him because we only agree on 54% of the issues [according to the isidewith.com test.] For example, I think illegal immigrants should pay the same as in-state students, corporations should pay the same as taxpayers, and repealing Obamacare would lead to market failures.”
“I think America already had a senator president and it now needs a governor president. He has great leadership experience and has the possibility of mobilizing Hispanic voters. I would vote for him.”
Ben Carson
“He has some amazing quotes.”
“His non-political background may give him some reputation but shows that he is inexperienced. Will this guy be eligible to be a president?”
“Ben is very lovely, but I think he is idealistic in his policies. I like that he is humorous and diplomatic but he has a lot of fraudulent information.”
Chris Christie
“If you see his picture, he looks very reliable and lovely. He has a lot of experience, and this kind of problem-solving capability is needed in the White House now. He is a more realistic and reliable candidate [because he doesn’t have plans that will lead to exorbitant tax raises]. I would vote for him.”
Ted Cruz
“I think he abuses the democracy system through his filibusters and is not suitable for politics.”
“Building a wall does not work. I know because 2000 years ago, we Chinese built a wall to keep out our enemies, and it didn’t work. This strategy simply does not work!”
Carly Fiorina
“To be frank, I am not so confident about her winning for the following reasons. First, she is a woman, and in US history there has never been a female president. If a woman wins, Hillary is more competitive. Second, there is a huge difference between politics and business. I am not sure she would be prepared.”
“I agree with her positions on healthcare, gay marriage, education, but I disagree with her position on gun control.”
“From her experience, I think she made herself a gift to God. Despite her failures, she never gave up. Even if I do not agree with her on everything, I would vote for her if I had the opportunity to.”
Mike Huckabee
“He puts religion in politics too much.”
On immigration:
“His opinions are not very practical. Who will go to the government and say ‘I came here illegally please deport me!’?!”
“At first I liked Huckabee, but in all the positions he doesn’t share the whole truth. I think he is a fraud. … My opinion is that he is a nice person, but I think politicians tend to not tell all the truth and I’m not quite used to that.”
“He is not the perfect candidate because he is not very famous and his information is not easily verified.”
Bobby Jindal
“I don’t support him very much because he is too far from the left. Maybe he attracts attention because of his oriental background but he has a long way to go to be president.”
John Kasich
“He is quite critical to people, but he is not that friendly to students like us. But we are not American students, so…”
Rand Paul
“I would not vote for him because even though he grew up in a family of politicians he has never been successful.”
“I think he is very consistent, from the beginning he shows he is conservative and influenced by his father, but he is more libertarian, involved in foreign affairs, and practical than his father.”
Rick Perry
“I think he is a good candidate and it is too bad that he dropped out of the election.”
Mitt Romney
“We share the same ideology. I am an economics student, I believe the government should leave the market to itself.”
Marco Rubio
“I think if America wants a good president that could bring a positive change, they should choose him.”
“He changed his positions on some big issues, like the immigration problem. If you change your attitude too often you lose the trust of the people and makes you not sincere enough.”
Donald Trump
On Trump changing parties/wives
“He is not only good at playing with girls, but also good at playing with parties!”
“Politics does not equal business. He could be successful in other realms, but I would not bet my future on this crazy playboy. We are selecting a president, not an actor or playboy.”
“You should not vote for Trump. He is just a billionaire with no political experience and is hostile towards China.”
Scott Walker
“He may not be ready [to be president]. He changes his attitude all the time. After the Wisconsin governorship, Wisconsin is not doing very well. It only ranks 35th out of all states in job creation.”
