[Depth] "Indians take over the United States", Indians are both happy and worried
[Global Times reporter Zheng Ke Hu Bofengyu and Wang Huicong] Editor’s note: “Indian-Americans are taking over the United States—you, my vice president, and my speech writers (all of Indian origin).” US President Biden 3 The remarks made to NASA’s Indian engineer Shivati Mohan in September caused widespread public concern in India. The New Delhi TV and other media quickly followed up and reported that Biden appointed "at least 55 Indians." Indians hold important positions in their government" and Indians "are present in almost every department of the government."
Regarding the "success stories" of Indian Americans, Indian society has as always been enthusiastic about it.
Last year, when the Biden-Harris team won the election, the hustle and bustle scene of "recognizing relatives" in the local area is still deeply impressed in the minds of many people.
However, for Biden’s large number of Indian officials, some Indian analysts calmly stated that the move has nothing to do with India, and some of them should even be vigilant. Based on the contradictions between different ethnic groups and religions in India, they represent different interests. Some Indian officials of the group may take a tougher attitude towards the Modi government.
Scholar: "Immigration Top Students" actually has no secret to success
Biden's "Indian-American takeover theory" was said during a video conference with members of NASA's "Perseverance" rover landing on Mars mission in March.
Some media interpreted this as a "joking," and the "New York Post" called it "one of the most compelling remarks" since Biden took office.
White House Spokesperson Psaki later specifically explained Biden’s intention to say this at a press conference: to pay tribute to the contributions made by Indian-Americans.
The reason for the explanation is that someone said, "If Trump made the remarks instead, he might be called a racist."
If the "takeover theory" is placed on other ethnic groups, it may cause a turmoil in the United States and ignite the "anti-immigration" sentiment.
But this time, the reaction of American public opinion appeared to be relatively calm. The comment of "One of the Most Notable Remarks" of the "New York Post" only applies to Indian public opinion-search for keywords on Google Chrome, except for the "New York Post" "And some British tabloids, almost all of them are covered by the Indian media.
Some analysts say that Biden’s words are certainly exaggerated, but Indians do occupy an important position in the United States.
Research by the Carnegie Foundation for International Peace in the United States found that Indians are one of the fastest-growing immigrant groups in the United States. In the past 40 years, the population has doubled almost every 10 years.
The US "Immigration Policy" website reported that in 2018, there were about 4.8 million Indian residents in the United States. As of 2019, about 2.7 million Indians had American citizenship.
Indians are widely regarded as the "top students" among American immigrants.
Statistics show that in 2019, 79% of Indian immigrants over the age of 25 have a bachelor degree or above.
Indians are more likely to engage in management, business, science and other industries than other groups.
In 2019, the median household incomes of residents born in the United States and overseas immigrants were US$66,000 and US$64,000, respectively, while American families with Indian immigrants as the “head of household” reached US$132,000.
University of California Economics Professor Navica Singh once said that although Indians only account for about 1% of the U.S. population, this group accounts for 8% of the founders of American high-tech companies. Among the tech start-ups in Silicon Valley, Indian founders account for 1/3.
Ramesh is an Indian immigrant met in the United States by a "Global Times" reporter. He lives in Redmond, where Microsoft's corporate headquarters is located. His living conditions are basically a portrayal of local Indian residents working in science and technology.
Ramesh moved to the United States with his wife more than ten years ago, step by step from "beating workers" to company executives.
Now, he has considerable income himself, his wife runs a shop, the eldest son has achieved financial freedom by relying on his own mobile application software, and the younger son is enrolled in the best local private school.
Business management and technology industries are considered to be the most concentrated areas of Indians, but in the eyes of foreign media, their social influence is also "unusual."
The Lowy Institute for International Policy in Australia once stated that Indians are found in "authoritative institutions" that are usually "out of reach" for immigrants: Ivy League universities, the media, the judicial system, and the most high-profile political arena.
In addition to the current Vice President Harris and Haley, the former permanent representative of the United States to the United Nations, there are also a long list of mayors, senators, and state legislators.
According to the article, the degree and activity of Indian participation in politics in recent decades has been very conspicuous, and there has been a rapid increase in organizations aimed at raising the voice of their groups.
Today, the composition of the Biden government seems to further strengthen the political influence of Indians: The Times of India reported in mid-January before Biden was sworn in that the new government nominated at least 17 Indians to hold key positions in the White House; The Hindustan Times also stated in early March that the Biden government appointed at least 55 Indians to hold important administrative positions.
Why can Indian Americans be so successful?
This is no longer a new topic. Obvious language and cultural advantages, familiarity with Western thinking habits, strong social skills, and even "grouping" are all well-known "secrets" of Indians.
However, in Navica Singh’s view, Indians themselves do not have any “traits”. Since 1965, the “selection process” of Indian immigration to the United States has been biased towards the most privileged members of Indian society, that is, those who have been well-trained. Educated high-caste groups, and the United States’ immigration policy has given outstanding students and technicians more advantages.
American Indian journalist Aaron Vinugopal also emphasized that Indian-Americans originally came from the elite class. “Their composition represents only a very small number of Indians-those who have the social capital and social capital that can succeed in places far from the motherland. People with knowledge capital".
The historian Vagay Prasad’s research found that from 1966 to 1977, about 20,000 scientists, 40,000 engineers, and 25,000 doctors left India for the United States. Most of them spoke English and came from high schools. Caste groups.
Indian officials may be tougher towards India
Even with outstanding performance in various fields, the Times of India said that Indian-Americans’ voice in politics, business and academia still needs to be improved.
However, with regard to Biden's "takeover theory," some Indian netizens worry that such high-profile "commendations" will make Indians a target of racist attacks.
"The truth behind the'Indian-American exceptionalism'." This year, Vinu Gopal, a senior Indian reporter at the Atlantic Monthly, wrote an article on this topic: "We are called "model minorities." ...But what is forgotten is that before that, we were also regarded as a'problem minority'." He wrote that now Indian Americans "seem to live in a bubble" because they have not seen themselves and Common ground among other non-white Americans.
In 2017, Indian-born engineer Sri Niwas Kuchhotla was killed in a bar on the outskirts of Kansas City in the United States. The killer shouted "Get out of my country" at the time.
Soon after, Vinu Gopal received a reminder from his father and several friends that they were all retired Indian-American doctors.
"The louder we make, these racists will be awakened," said one of them. "The only thing to do is to keep a low profile." Vinukupal wrote, "Even though my uncles and uncles are all here. The United States has succeeded and has lived in this country for nearly 50 years, but they are still proceeding cautiously, as if their American identity is still unreliable and with additional conditions."
Regarding the status quo, Indian-Americans are both happy and worried, as do their "motherland" people in Asia.
As we all know, Indian society is very concerned about the achievements of Indians. For example, when Indian-American scholar Abigit Banerjee won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2019, Indians celebrated and cheered.
The scene that impressed the international community most last year was India’s pursuit of the Biden-Harris combination: Biden said that his ancestors may have arrived in India during the British colonial period, and the local media set off a frenzy of “climbing relatives”; Harris became the vice president of the United States, and Indian public opinion exclaimed that she "made history."
Regarding the "Indian origins" of Biden and Harris and the large number of Indian officials in their government, the Indian banker Ashok calmly said to a reporter from the Global Times: "They are American first, and Indian descent second. Americans." Some media and analysts are also "pouring cold water."
The Indian Tribune stated that some Indian members of the Biden team had actively participated in protests against the Modi government’s controversial policies such as the amendment to the Citizenship Law and the cancellation of the special status of the Indian-controlled Kashmir region.
Bharat Kanad, a national security scholar at the Indian Think Tank Policy Research Center, also wrote in January this year that Biden’s appointment of Indian officials is not a “diplomatic favor” to India. Judging from the past experience of relevant personnel, they treat India's attitude may be more critical and harsher.
"This statement is not without a target." An analyst on India issues told the Global Times reporter that Indian society is very complex, with constant contradictions between different ethnic groups and religious sects, and Indians in the United States are also divided into different groups. It is often inextricably linked with interest groups in India.
In terms of ethnic issues, Indian-Americans once supported the Sikhs in Punjab and the independence movement in Kashmir.
Kanad's article specifically pointed out that two Indian officials in the Biden administration were from Kashmir, and the Indian government should be "wary" about this.
From a religious perspective, Muslims among Indian-Americans are more disgusted with the Modi government's "Hinduism first" ruling philosophy.
In 2005, Modi, the chief minister of Gujarat State, was denied a visa when he planned to visit the United States on the grounds that he failed to effectively prevent a genocide in 2002. It is reported that the visa refusal was the result of lobbying by Indian-American groups.
On February 9 this year, the Carnegie Foundation for International Peace released a report "How Indian Americans View India".
The report first outlines that since taking office in 2014, Modi has regarded Indian immigration as an important element of his foreign policy. Given the increasing influence of Indian Americans in Indian foreign policy, some important questions need to be answered, such as their How to view India and the trend of US-India relations, etc.
A joint survey conducted by the agency and YouGov on 1,200 Indian-Americans in September last year found that the respondents' views on whether India is currently on the right track are almost completely opposed, with 36% and 39% of them saying that they are right and wrong. %, 25% are noncommittal.
This also shows that compared with the domestic people in India, they are more pessimistic about the development of India: Ipsos survey from June to July 2020 shows that 60% of Indians believe that their country is on the right track.
Indian-Americans support the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the opposition National Congress Party at 1/3 and 12%, respectively.
The Carnegie Foundation for International Peace report stated that although many Indian-Americans came to join in during Modi's events in New York and Texas, some Indian-American groups also came to protest outside the venue.
Religious divisions within this group are also very "conspicuous": 70% of Hindus approve Modi’s performance, which is only one-fifth among Muslims, while Christians approve and disapprove almost the same percentage, 34% respectively. And 35%.
Regarding the US's support for India, 44% of the respondents thought it was "just right", and those who answered "too much support" and "not enough support" accounted for 12% and 24% respectively.
The survey also found that the issues that Indian Americans are most worried about are corruption in the Indian government (18%) and slower economic development (15%).
The Carnegie Foundation for International Peace believes that all the above differences indicate that the Indian-American community will become more divided in the future.
Brain drain and risk hedging
In the eyes of some Indians, the influence of Indians in the United States is getting stronger and stronger, and behind this is the cost of brain drain paid by India.
Among the Indian families contacted by reporters from the Global Times, as long as conditions permit, most families send their children to study in developed countries from high school.
Every year before foreign students enroll in the fall, you can always see various promotional activities organized by overseas study agencies in the major five-star hotels in New Delhi.
Vivek runs a venture capital company in India. His eldest daughter is now in the UK, and his second daughter is about to go to the United States.
"This is called risk hedging." He told reporters that the educational environment, job opportunities, and living conditions in Britain and the United States are better than those in India.
"Deutsche Welle" recently reported that in the world, India has a labor market second only to China (nearly 500 million people), but a report in 2021 showed that only 45.9% of young people have the ability to meet employment requirements. condition.
When analyzing the reasons, Sarti Acharya, an economist at the Indian Institute of Human Development, first mentioned: "Our best talents do not stay in China, they all go abroad." According to India's Livemint website, from 2019 to 2020, There are 193,000 Indian students studying in the United States, accounting for 18% of international students.
Some analysts believe that the success of Indians in the United States also reflects to a certain extent the lack of domestic education and economic development in India, and therefore cannot resist the "siphoning" of human capital by other countries.
Of course, some Indian-Americans also "give back" to India.
Last year, Google CEO Sundar Pichai promised to establish a "digital fund" in India, investing 10 billion US dollars in 5 to 7 years to promote India's digital construction.
Ramesh, who works in the United States, told the Global Times reporter that their Indian community has established a number of organizations in the United States. They often focus on Indians who have made outstanding achievements in various fields. They often convene members to raise funds for India. Part of the funds is used for educational development, because in their view, education is the key to promoting social development and change in India.
In addition, in recent years there has also been a “reverse talent flow”, such as from Google to Flipkart, an e-commerce company headquartered in Bangalore, India. There are also some Indians who have been successful in the United States who choose to return to China to start businesses. India’s huge market and They value the development potential of related companies, and some even describe it as "India now smells like Silicon Valley."