Author: Audrey Jiajia Li

“Go back to China”– this is a phrase that has been occasionally hurled at Asian faces in the United States in the past few years, especially during the rampant spread of Covid-19. Behind it lies a complex backdrop: US-China tensions, rising populism and the economic fallout of the pandemic. Xenophobia often festers when people face adversity. Last week, a friend shared in a WeChat group that this phrase was recently uttered in Singapore. A few days ago, her parents from China faced discrimination when they misunderstood a delivery in their daughter’s English-speaking neighborhood. After this incident, new immigrants in Singapore…