You're misinterpreting me. I didn't imply I'm against regular immigration to China. America has a high barrier of entry and takes the cream of the crop from developing countries. That's why they have a continuous flow of talent that aren't just homegrown. Why can't China do the same? There's a huge chasm between recruiting no one and having unchecked mass immigration.
Recruit athletes whos children will become athletes representing China.
Recruit athletes who may not make the olympics team in their country, but in China may be given better opportunities, training, nutrition, etc.
Look at the tennis table players for western countries. How many of them are former Chinese citizens? I don't see the outrage.
Even outside athletics, I have no problems with talented people from non-Chinese countries immigrating to China. If they are outstanding in their field and can make huge coutributions, who cares where they are from? As long as they identify with the Chinese culture, language and values.
Saying that "Han" is a civilization culture, fine. But Han is also an ethnic group that's just not competitive in basketball, track and field, etc. Is it racism to say that those of Ethiopian descent traditionally dominate marathons? There's well researched science behind this phenomenon. It's not admitting genetic inferiority to acknowledge ethnic differences.
Firstly, Western nations, especially the US, positioned themselves as an immigration haven, so Western people generally speaking are ok with it on the surface (However, I believe that the racial and ethnic divisions will sooner or later come out as the West declines). Plus, those players you mentioned are basically subservient to Westerners, so why should the West kick out those who worship them? China shouldn't pursue such a status. It's best to develop your own to prevent complacency. The West's dependence on immigration for talent will sooner or later bite them in the butt hard, especially when it comes to Chinese talent.
Second of all, Im not against bringing in talented people that are STEM as they don't care about national allegiances. However, representative athletes for something like the Olympics are different. Talented people, particularly those from STEM fields, cannot be compared to representative athletes since Olympians ultimately represent their nation and people while STEM experts only progress the field, which would benefit the country.
Finally, let Ethiopia have their marathon runners. Good for them and their people, and yes you have a good point. Humans are all different. The Chinese are great at weightlifting while the Ethiopians are great marathon runners. However, like I said, allowing foreigners to compete on your behalf in the Olympics of all things since you can't produce the talent due to "ethnic differences" WILL cause immigrants to call for easier entrance into China as China accepted them as their own (in their eyes). Otherwise, why would people care about how their country is doing rather than the individual athlete in the Olympics? Because of that and China's strict immigration policy, people would call China racist and hypocritical, and the foreign Olympians would be triggered if the Chinese refused to allow their ethnic people to enter. So, China may have to kneel. All of this would lead to racial or ethnic tensions between groups of people. I see it all the time in the US. Blacks proclaim their physical supremacy to others since there are a lot of blacks in sports. Asians and Whites proclaim their intellectual supremacy to others due to the majority of STEM being Asian or White. Hispanics are angry that they are used as labor and have to pay taxes while their families are stuck in South or central Americas and barred from entering the US. All of that is raising the racial tensions that we see today. For the sake of preserving internal stability of the country, I would still have to disagree with allowing in foreigners for the Olympics.
Ultimately, we can agree to disagree. IMO, allowing foreigners to become representatives of your country is dangerous and can lead to a snowball effect. This mentality of yours is clearly that of the West, and I am firmly against it.
A nation's athletic program which is a huge source of cultural power and influence. Look at what the NBA does for America. These "soft wins" are precisely the type of victories China need more of.
As for "it does nothing for the average person", you can say that about a lot of things. For example, how does the average Chinese person's life change if China had 3 more carriers today? Yet we're here, pixel peeping over satellite photos.
Nobody would view a foreigner who is representing China in the Olympics as Chinese. People don't even recognize Tibetans as Chinese. As for the aircraft carriers, they defend the country and make people more confident in their nation's ability to defend itself and its citizens. They have the ability to project power and initiate battles far from the mainland. A bunch of medals did nothing for Ethiopia as it is in a bitter civil war. They did nothing for black people in America who are getting persecuted. They did nothing for China as people still hate China anyway.
Finally for the concept of soft power, soft power is only great when it is allowed to enter and be reported in a positive manner. If the media continues to portray China as a dystopian, minority killing, and dictator run aggressor, no amount of soft power will change a people's mind. If China were to display the US in the same way the US portrays China, the NBA would not be popular in China as it is today.
