AAPI support lifted me up, Olympic skier Gu says

Eileen Gu, the US-born Olympic skier who competed for China and won gold medals at the Beijing 2022 Winter Games, said there were plenty of people telling her that they did not support what she was doing.

But what uplifted her were hundreds of positive messages from her AAPI family.

"It was the feeling of family, of community, culture, tradition, belief that came from my Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islander friends and family," she said at an event celebrating AAPI Heritage Month organized by the Bank of China and the China General Chamber of Commerce in New York City on Friday.

The messages from her AAPI family were "something that made me feel uplifted, made me feel like I belonged, made me feel like I had family back home no matter where my home was", Gu said.

Growing up between Beijing and San Francisco, Gu calls herself a "global person".

"I was able to appreciate different cultures. Not compare and contrast them over the same qualities, but really appreciate what each one brought to the table individually, uniquely, showed me that we are not weak because of our divides. Rather, we are strong because we are unique," Gu said.

"We have to find a way to unite ourselves as humans. And so what's important now, more than ever, is dialogue. It's communication. It's a sense of cultural tolerance and an ability to learn and understand one another."

Huang Ping, the Chinese consul general in New York, said Chinese Americans or Chinese residing here have been devoted to promoting exchange and cooperation between China and the United States.

"Your efforts are greatly appreciated currently in the face of the difficulties in the bilateral relationship and the rising anti-Asian and anti-China sentiments in American society," Huang told the audience.

"It is our sincere wish that all of us continue to leverage our strengths to help Americans gain a correct understanding of Chinese Americans, as well as the China-US relationship," he said.

"It is our objective to bring the hearts of the two peoples closer, deepen friendship and make new contributions to eliminating anti-Asia and anti-China sentiments in the US, improving the living conditions of Chinese Americans, and promoting the sound development of China-US relations."