ϲ

Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Media, Law & Policy
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • ϲ Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • ϲ Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Media, Law & Policy

International students find much to interest them in U.S. presidential election

Tuesday, November 6, 2012, By Kathleen Haley
Share
College of Arts and SciencesStudents

The debates, the media coverage, seemingly endless campaigning. Americans have endured months of buildup to the U.S. presidential election.

Two students—Chi Chen, a junior studying psychology, and Yutian Yang, a third-year Ph.D. student in chemical engineering—have watched the U.S. process, forming their own perspectives, as they also await their own country’s leadership transition this week.

The 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China will be held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing beginning Thursday to confirm its newest leaders in a decade.

For Chen and Yang, as they viewed the U.S. process, they both found the presidential debates held the most interest.

“We have never had such a forum in China, so it is new to me,” says Yang, who is from Shanghai. “I like to hear them stating their policies on certain issues, and by comparing them, people can make their choice.”

chenChen agrees that the debates help people get to know the candidates in a direct way, by addressing the most concerning problems and issues. “In this way, people not only get to know their solutions and thoughts, but also get to know them better based on their confidence, or probable personalities,” says Chen, who is from Wuhan. “Another thing I found very interesting about this is the debate can be very intense and exciting to see how they react and counterpoint in a sophisticated way.”

In the aftermath of the debate, the media pick apart each candidate’s performance. “The media judges who wins the debate by who is more aggressive in answering the question, but deep down, are all those answers truth?” Yang says. “The emphasis is on who is better in the debate than whose policy looks more realistic, which in my opinion, is meaningless.”

yangYang has noticed the intensity of the campaign has increased as it gets closer to the election—and the results are not certain, unlike in China. “The thing is here you are having a real election, but we don’t really have one,” Yang says. “All media is talking about how the next leader in China will do, like it’s already known, but officially, it should still remain uncertain.”

Xi Jinping, first secretary of the Secretariat of the Communist Party, is expected to be confirmed as head of China’s ruling party.

Chen sees three major differences between China and the United States in the way that each chooses its leaders. The first is that the U.S. presidential election involves a multi-party system, while in China, there is only one party.

Second, the U.S. election contains a long process of campaigning and debates. “In contrast, in China, since there is only one party, the chairman will be chosen or appointed with the presidium that is formed in the National People’s Congress. There are no debates or complex procedures toward election because everything is decided within the party,” Chen says.

“Lastly, the involvements of citizens are so different,” Chen says. She recalls a conversation with Elane Granger Carrasco, associate director of the Slutzker Center for International Services, who told Chen she was anxious about the election.

“I said, ‘See, we do not have this process at all in China. I do not mean it is good or bad, but we just do not have it,’” Chen says.

With having the right to vote, each citizen is responsible for the country. “People might be scared, cheered or even just not caring. The election contains the involvement of people and will influence every single one of them,” Chen says. “In China, as Elane says, we ‘do not need to go through the agony,’ and we are not involved at the same time. People might talk about it and have their opinions about it, but there are no real responsibilities or involvements.”

In the United States, the system gives people the right to care about their country and come to their own conclusion, Yang says. “I wouldn’t say there are no drawbacks in this system, but at least, people are engaged in the country, and this actually leads to patriotism.”

  • Author

Kathleen Haley

  • Recent
  • From Wedding Day Pics on Campus to Working at ‘Otto’s House’: Brianna and Kevin Shults Share Their Orange Love Story
    Friday, July 11, 2025, By Jen Plummer
  • Vintage Over Digital: Alumnus Dan Cohen’s Voyager CD Bag Merges Music and Fashion
    Monday, July 7, 2025, By John Boccacino
  • Empowering Learners With Personalized Microcredentials, Stackable Badges
    Thursday, July 3, 2025, By Hope Alvarez
  • WISE Women’s Business Center Awarded Grant From Empire State Development, Celebrates Entrepreneur of the Year Award
    Thursday, July 3, 2025, By Dawn McWilliams
  • Paulo De Miranda G’00 Received ‘Much More Than a Formal Education’ From Maxwell
    Thursday, July 3, 2025, By Jessica Youngman

More In Media, Law & Policy

Professor Nina Kohn Serves as Reporter for 2 Uniform Acts

College of Law Distinguished Professor Nina Kohn is helping to create “gold standard” legislation on some of the most important issues facing older adults and individuals with cognitive disabilities. Based on her legal expertise, including in the area of elder…

250 Years Later, Declaration of Independence Still Challenges, Inspires a Nation: A Conversation With Professor Carol Faulkner

In June 1776, from a rented room in Philadelphia, Thomas Jefferson penned the first draft of the document that would forge a nation. The stakes were high, amidst the ongoing war with the British, to find the right words to…

Philanthropy Driven by Passion, Potential and Purpose

Ken Pontarelli ’92 credits the University for changing his life, opening up opportunities to pursue his passions and achieve professional success that allows him to focus on the public good. In return, he and his wife, Tracey, are paying it…

First-Year Law Student to First-Year Dean: Lau Combines Law and Business to Continue College of Law’s Upward Trajectory

Three decades ago, Terence J. Lau L’98 walked the corridors as an eager student in the College of Law, then located in White Hall. He knew he had been given a rare chance—and a full scholarship—to be a part of…

Ian ’90 and Noah Eagle ’19 Share a Love of Sportscasting and Storytelling (Podcast)

There’s a new father-son sportscasting team on the national scene, one with a decidedly Orange background: Ian ’90 and Noah Eagle ’19. Ian finished his second year as the lead announcer for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament and has crafted…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

For the Media

Find an Expert
© 2025 ϲ. All Rights Reserved.