Apology Resolution for the Chinese Exclusion Act Is a Breakthrough, but Regrets Remain

According to the Xinhua News Agency, on June 18, the United States House of Representatives passed a resolution unanimously apologizing for the Chinese Exclusion Act. This resolution was passed unanimously by the United States Senate last November. The action by the House on June 18 is equivalent to completing the legal procedure of the resolution in the legislature.

The purpose of legalizing this action is to formally apologize for previous exclusion and discrimination against Chinese practices via national legislation. Its seriousness has surpassed that of formal or informal apology by any governmental official. This seriousness in certain procedures makes up for imperfections due to the apology being 130 years late in its arrival.

The Chinese Exclusion Act, passed in the U.S. 130 years ago, was the first act in U.S. history that put restrictions on immigrants. The United States is a country of immigrants. Chinese immigrants became the first ethnic group to be excluded and discriminated against by the U.S. federal system. The Chinese Exclusion Act lasted for 60 years, until 1943, when it was finally abolished.

The Chinese Exclusion Act banned Chinese immigrants from owning real estate, marrying white people, immigrating for family reunification, working in the government and appearing in courts with white people. The legislative reason behind the act was based upon discrimination against Chinese ethnicity and culture. The act was the product of “pride and prejudice” of the white people toward the Chinese, and historical portrayal of the suffering Chinese of that era. The Chinese Exclusion Act made Chinese unable to lift their heads in the United States — the so-called “cultural melting pot.” Its legacy and influence still exist today. One such example is the United States Code, which still retains in its table of contents the Chinese Exclusion Act.

From a historical point of view, although the U.S. at that time was a democratic and free nation in the eyes of the great thinker Tocqueville, the limitations of history still engraved words such as “mistake” and “regret” in the growing process of the United States. Yet, the U.S. has made national apologies for putting Japanese Americans in concentration camps during World War II, overthrowing the Hawaiian native dynasty, slavery, unfair treatment of Native Americans and several more “sins of history.” Even today, there are still many ethnic Americans and groups seeking apology from the United States for its unfair treatment of them or their nationality in the past.

In this respect, the late arrival of the apology resolution for the Chinese Exclusion Act is not only a breakthrough for the United States, but also an important breakthrough for Chinese Americans and Chinese people all over the world.

The unanimous agreement upon the apology resolution coincides with the 2012 general election year. It means that the United States has recognized the determination and capacity of Chinese political participation and the decisive influence of 4,000,000 Chinese American voters. This final vote is what won the dignity that was once damaged for the Chinese. The rise in social status of the Chinese community in the mainstream United States will further solidify the feeling and friendliness among Chinese people of different backgrounds and provide a better basis for integrating into American society.

Because the apology resolution only apologizes for the “affair,” not to the “people,” it does not address compensation problems related to the people who were damaged at that time, and their descendants. Therefore, this apology resolution is more declarative. At first glance, it seems serious and deep, but it still contains regrets.