Anti-Chinese sentiment in the United States

Anti-Chinese sentiment in the United States began in the 19th century, shortly after Chinese immigrants first arrived in North America, and persists into the 21st century. This prejudice has manifested in many forms, including racist immigration policies, violence, and massacres. The first major wave of anti-Chinese violence occurred in the 1860s during the construction of world's first transcontinental railroad, driven by job competition with American workers and negative, unsubstantiated reports from Americans who had lived in China.

Violence against Chinese in California, Oregon, Washington, and throughout the country took many forms, including pogroms; expulsions, including the destruction of a Chinatown in Denver; and massacres such as the Los Angeles Chinese massacre of 1871, the Rock Springs massacre, and the Hells Canyon massacre. Anti-Chinese sentiment led to the federal Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which banned the naturalization and further immigration of people of Chinese descent. Amid discussions of "Yellow Peril", anti-Chinese sentiment was eventually extended to all Asians, leading to the broader Asian Exclusion Act of 1924.

Relations between the United States and China improved following the Sino-Soviet split and the 1972 visit by Richard Nixon to China. However, since the end of the Cold War, anti-Chinese sentiment in the U.S. has increased. This rise, particularly noticeable from the 2010s onwards, is often linked to China's growing influence and status as a global superpower.

Although relations between the US and China normalized after the Sino-Soviet split and the 1972 visit by Richard Nixon to China, anti-Chinese sentiment has increased in the United States since the end of the Cold War, especially since the 2010s and in the 2020s, and its increase has been attributed to China's rise as a superpower, which is perceived as a primary threat to America's position as the world's sole superpower. Since 2019, xenophobia and racism have increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which was first detected in Wuhan, China. This has led to heightened discrimination and violence against Chinese individuals and those perceived to be of Chinese descent, particularly Asians. This surge in xenophobia is a continuation of the long history of anti-Chinese sentiment in the United States.