In his video “SCAMMERS are Everywhere in China”, Winston Sterzel claims that “Scamming to some degree or the other is more or less baked into Chinese society…it’s just part of the mentality here”. He also says that a common Chinese idiom is: “if you can cheat, then cheat”. His video follows with numerous examples calling out on supposed “scams” he experienced in China. He says that “petty crimes like theft is quite common”.

“Scamming to some degree or the other is more or less baked into Chinese Society…it’s just part of the mentality here.” Winston Sterzel (2017) in “SCAMMERS are Everywhere in China”

Sterzel claims that this is a common Chinese idiom: “If you can cheat, then cheat” Winston Sterzel claims that this idiom is common in the Chinese language and reflects the mindset of scamming that is part of the Chinese mentality.

We rate Sterzel’s claims to be FALSE

Winston Sterzel’s claim that an “idiom” (能骗就骗) exists in the Chinese language called “if you can cheat, then cheat”, is, to the best of our knowledge, mostly untrue. According to a discussion on StackExchange (where users who saw Sterzel’s video asked the Chinese about the origins of this expression), most responded that this expression is not in widespread use, although it is syntacticly and grammatically correct. They state that it may be derived from a Cantonese expression (呃得就呃), but its use is by no means widespread, and it is one of countless idioms in the Chinese language. For Sterzel to use this idiom to draw an analogy to the “scammy” nature of the Chinese is totally disingenuous. This would be akin to saying that the existence of a pejorative idiomatic expression in the English language implies that all speakers of that language share in the attributes of that pejorative.

With respect to Sterzel’s assertions on levels of petty theft and scams, there are no standard trackers of “scams” because its definition varies widely, but plenty of peer-reviewed, credible sources such as the United Nations have conducted studies showing that Asian countries, including China, routinely post lower rates of crime across the spectrum than many other countries in the world. Sterzel’s native South Africa has one of the highest rates of rapes, murders, and assaults in the world. Sterzel’s claims are undeniably false.

Unfortunately, what is very real are the repercussions of spreading dog-whistling rhetoric like this. For example, we have seen increasing anti-Asian discrimination in the United States, as the narrative takes hold that Chinese students are “cheaters” and “spies”. Leading Asian-American scholars have raised the alarm on racial profiling of the Asian-American community by federal agencies cracking down on Chinese espionage, often targeting innocent individuals due solely to their race. Studies have found that Asians are twice as likely as non-Asians to be charged with espionage only to not be convicted or convicted of lesser crimes.

Some examples of innocent Asian-Americans being called “cheats” or “spies”:

Democratic Presidential Candidate Andrew Yang – implied to be a spy by former Clinton advisor Nelson W. Cunningham in an interview with FOX News.

Temple University physics professor Xiaoxing Xi – falsely accused and detained at gunpoint for allegedly being a Chinese spy. Charges later dropped.

National Weather Service hydrologist Sherry Chen – falsely accused of spying for China, case dropped, fired from job.

Scientist Wen Ho Lee – Taiwanese-American falsely accused of spying for China, charges unable to proven and ultimately settled in a plea agreement, eventually awarded $1.6 million from the government and media organizations in relation to his case.

The gross injustice of the racism faced by Asian-Americans is succinctly summarized by Dr. Xi as such: “Don’t think this won’t happen to you. You don’t have to do anything wrong to be accused of Chinese spying.”

“Don’t think this won’t happen to you. You don’t have to do anything wrong to be accused of Chinese spying.” Dr. Xiaoxing Xi

Winston Sterzel should know better than to spread false and racist stereotypes about Asians being “cheaters” and “scammers” in his videos.