What do they think of the fact that he spent his childhood years in Indonesia and Hawaii?
Many Asians can relate to his international upbringing. Chinese people feel that Americans do not understand China, so to have someone with such a strongly Asian-influenced background, who spent his childhood in Indonesia and Hawaii, is exciting. Obama probably understands Chinese food better than most previous presidents, to say the least! Chinese people are also excited to find that Obama’s half-brother has been living in China for many years and speaks Chinese. His brother-in-law is also of Chinese descent. These connections may not mean much in politics, but we must not underestimate the kinship and goodwill that these connections may generate for Obama. Do the Chinese see Obama’s victory as a mark of racial progress? Chinese people are intrigued by Obama because of his race, and the Chinese media has been celebrating his election as a victory of non-white people. But beyond that, Chinese people do not know much about him. Ultimately, most people expect that Obama will speak for Am
