Protesters rally near the White House during a protest over the death of George Floyd in Washington D.C., the US, on May 30, 2020. Photo: Xinhua

Anti-racism sentiment has swept across the US following the death of George Floyd. Protests have led to nationwide unrest, with people burning police stations, smashing store windows and destroying public facilities. The protests have not only embarrassed the American political elites, but have also delivered a huge blow to the US economy. 

While we have no intention of supporting violence at any time, we still believe there is a need for the US government to reflect on discrimination in its society and economy, which is the root of the devastating chaos.

Racial discrimination is a chronic problem in US society, but the country's politicians have long turned a blind eye to it. Little effort has been made to improve the decades-old issue, which has finally erupted in a violent manner. As a result, the US economy, which has been struggling to reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic in recent weeks, is paying a painful price for the ignorance and arrogance of its political elites.

Moreover, the problem of discrimination is not just limited to racism in the US. US discrimination against Chinese companies is also deep-rooted. Huawei has been under tremendous pressure from the US government, partly because of its prominence in the deployment of 5G networks. More importantly, the US thinks Chinese companies may pose "national security risks." In its latest move to cut off Huawei's supplies, Washington restricted foreign manufacturers using US chipmaking equipment from selling semiconductors to the Chinese tech giant.

Weeks ago, the US government arbitrarily placed 33 Chinese companies and institutions on its entity list in a bid to escalate a technology war with China. Slapping sanctions on Chinese companies has clearly gone beyond the normal business range and points to nothing but political discrimination, which could be seen as another kind of "violent law enforcement."

As with racial discrimination in the US, anger is also building over discrimination against Chinese businesses. And if the US allows such bias and discrimination to grow and remain, such an attitude will take its toll on the US economy sooner or later, and painful lessons will be inevitable.

Violence is wrong and should by no means be encouraged, but there is no denying that it is time for American society to think about how to improve its problems to create a truly equal society and economy.