Getting a foot in the door of US politics

For 18-year-old Jonathan Chen, an immigrant to the US from Yantai, Shandong an internship is paving the way to what he hopes will be a chance to knock at the door of the inner circles of American politics.

He is currently working as a full-time intern in the offices of California Senator Lou Correa - thanks to an opportunity provided by the Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment (CAUSE).

"I hope to pursue a career in political science and law," he told China Daily, "so this program was right for me. My primary goal is to gain an in-depth understanding of the basic structures and functions of the US political system."

Founded in 1993, CAUSE is dedicated to advancing the political empowerment of the Asian Pacific Islander (API) community through voter registration and education, community outreach, and leadership development.

So far, at least 52 Chinese American students have benefited from CAUSE internships.

Chen won his place among many American competitors by writing essays on social issues and political affairs and going through an intensive interview process. Now he is researching and studying legislation and issues proposed and advocated by Senator Correa.

As a boy, Chen attended elementary school and one year of middle school in China, before coming to the US in 2007. He has just graduated from Cerritos High School and will be attending University of California-San Diego in the fall.

"I've been struggling with trying to identify myself as a Chinese or American," he said. "But for now I believe I am adapting to a middle-ground, absorbing new knowledge, experience, and culture, while preserving some of the most fundamental Chinese values, such as courtesy, diligence, and hard-work."

Those values, he said, are to be kept for a lifetime.

Chen considers Sino-US relations as one of the most influential bilateral relationships in the world. "China is a growing power, both politically and economically," he said, "and tensions will inevitably arise due to China's growth."

However, China and the US need to cooperate in economic and military matters and their cooperation is crucial to the world's overall stability and peaceful development.

Christine Sun, a Chinese American summer intern in California Senator Ed Chau's office, said that one of her biggest advantages is the ability to speak Mandarin, "hopefully", she said, "to act as a bridge that links the two cultures".

Sun, 18, graduated from Arcadia High School in June and will be attending the University of Pennsylvania next fall. Originally from Dalian, China, she moved to the US when she was five.

Sun believes that heightening political awareness among Chinese Americans is extremely important, as now - more than ever - Asian Americans are starting to gain a foothold in politics.

"More awareness translates into more support," she said, "and more support means greater advancement for the Asian American community."

Senator Chau said that both the US and China stand to benefit from improved relations, noting that his district was "the only API majority seat in the Assembly. Many of the Asian Americans that live in my District are Chinese American".

He also said that there were a large number of first-generation Asian Americans in the US and many Chinese Americans were being elected to public office who were immigrants themselves and still maintain personal contacts with family and friends from the old country.

"I believe that many of these Chinese-American elected officials who still maintain those links overseas can play a productive role in strengthening the relationship between the United States and China," Chau said, adding that he himself was born in Hong Kong.