Help me work out if this a micro aggression or if I’m over thinking.

[MikeLitoris]

Resurrecting a long dead MN account (pink Peter, bobble plate, naice ham, kind of oldie here) to ask this as DP is on the fence and I’m not sure if I’m overthinking.

reviewing a work document involving the purchase of some techie type equipment for resale (purposely vague sorry) and someone has marked a particular purchase as positive with the comment ‘No Chinese made X’s are purchased’ the insinuation being that Chinese made ones spy on our customers and we can use it as a selling point.

it’s making me uncomfortable every time I see it. Especially as they want to push it as a way to hook customers, but is it a micro aggression? Or is it a flat out xenophobic comment, or am I just being too sensitive?

Is it simply work policy rather than the individuals xenophobia? I work for a US company and we cannot purchase from or do business with several countries (Iran, Somalia etc) and I think there might be a policy that forbids certain types of transactions with China.

I can't work out exactly what you're saying without knowing the equipment, but in my experience people usually talk about Chinese made mass produced crap being not decent quality and I have not heard of the context you refer to re: spy equipment so I'm not sure I'm following?

It’s one persons opinion so far. They’re asking me to approve this to be added to a training document so that wider sales staff. An use it as selling point. If it was internal communications I’d no think so hard about it, but asking to use it in discussions with customers feels off.

Chinese heritage person here - I find it quite xenophobic.

I also find all those news reports banning TikTok on devices, the whole Covid is a Chinese man-made virus and the US - China culture / trade wars very xenophobic.

It translates on the streets and "others" us.

The US is threatened by the rise of the Chinese economy and has been posturing for many years.

Why ban TikTok - might as well ban IPhones as they're all made in China ;along with Samsungs etc)

Depends on the sector. In part of my company (not the part I work in!) there are valid concerns about the extent to which China might view us as a surveillance target.

Hmm. Can you ask why? China is a nation state threat actor in the cyber world and many of their products are discounted from certain sectors.

It really depends on what it is.

Chinese made cctv makes me really uneasy, for example, and if a supplier said they didn't use any Chinese made cctv that would be a positive for me.

Is it not simply suggesting that what has been purchased (and being sold on) is of a higher quality etc than stuff made cheap in china? That would be my initial interpretation.
Find a better way of wording what they’re trying to say and get it changed if it’s bothering you.

Chinese devices are well known to contain spy ware.
Tik Tok was developed and is owned by the Chinese, but is banned in China. It's common knowledge that the Chinese government use it to Hoover data from the West.
Sorry, but your colleague is right.

I believe China is spying on the west so I’d not have a problem with that statement. (We probably spy on them too btw)

If its CCTV systems there has been government guidelines about manufactures in China recently. No more Hikvisiom on public sector projects.

China bans Facebook. Do you consider that xenophobic?

I think the National Cyber Security Society have recommended the UK should not use Chinese manufactured internet enabled tech, although I can’t find reference to this on the web. I’m not an expert on these things, but there are other ways the risks could be mitigated, without having to say no Chinese technology. Such as default passwords must be changed etc.

I don't think there's any good reason that they can't just actually specify what they are trying to stop, so "no technology that spy's on customers"

I think it is xenophobic, stereo typing, inaccurate and offensive.

amp.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/15/chinese-cameras-leave-british-police-vulnerable-to-spying-says-watchdog

www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-policing-shot-through-with-chinese-surveillance-technology

www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1784796/Chinese-spy-cameras-completely-dominating-UK-market/amp

It's not a slight on the Chinese people. It's the Chinese government that is the issue here

I think it's more to do with the Chinese Government legislating that all chinese companies must pass them data on users, which is why TikTok is banned on politicians and civil servants work phones etc. there was also the issue with Huawei potentially getting a UK contract a couple of years ago but same issue was raised as they would've had to pass all info captured to the Chinese Gov.
So less xenophobia and more likely to be wary due to what's been in the press recently

https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/assess-supply-chain-cyber-security

I think it’s too vague to call.

If there’s no direct correlation to the concerns about spyware (ie the advice not to use certain products made in China) then I do think it’s problematic and I would approach the person to discuss a bit further and get their take on why it’s “a positive”

I would not use that..... At all...

This has some validity.

I would assume it was a comment stemming from a perception of some mass-produced Chinese goods being of poor quality. Why don't you ask them to explain the comment? If it's going in a training manual, the reason for the comment should be properly explained!

I don't think it is a micro aggression,I think it is a pretty bold statement. I would think this is something that would be agreed at a high level if a policy like this was implemented, not just what one person thinks is a good idea and what the next person gathers from asking on the Internet. I would go back and say has this been signed off by who ever.

the insinuation being that Chinese made ones spy on our customers and we can use it as a selling point.

It's been in all the main newspapers recently that government departments etc need to change their cctv cameras due to the threat from the Chinese government. Just google "uk government chinese camera". I'm surprised you haven't read anything about it.

https://news.sky.com/story/uk-to-remove-chinese-surveillance-cameras-from-sensitive-government-sites-as-beijing-hits-back-12898600

I would look into this a bit further. Check with a manager or strategist. If it is agreed I would have many discussions about how this is worded and presented because it does sound way off imo.