This discussion will be divided into two parts. The first part will list the reasons why it’s incorrect to refer to Westerners as foreigners within China. The second will list reasons why it’s wrong to refer to Westerners as foreigners when residing in a Western country as a newer arrival than the Westerners themselves.
Now, it’s important to say that there is a legitimate use of the term “foreigner” as a seldom used, but necessary part of any language. It may have a purpose in certain situations where there is no other way of expressing a certain concept. In fact, as an Australian I find myself at a bit of a loss to provide an example of this. Maybe I’m wrong. We wouldn’t need to say “Foreigners should be assisted to find landmarks around Melbourne”. We could (and usually do) simply say “visitors”, “tourists”, “people” or “Japanese”, “Chinese” etc. However, though I have said that the term “foreigner” is a legitimate word, it should not be overused, as it definitely is by most Chinese I have come across, both in and outside of Australia.
First, a little about the terms used to refer to Westerners. There are a few outright deliberate insults which thankfully are less often used and needn’t receive further attention here. What I want to address are the terms 老外 laowai, and 外国人 waiguoren (the patronising and dumb expression 外国朋友 waiguo pengyou - “foreign friends” can be included with these two it’s basically used by Chinese who have come to some realisation that the terms 老外 laowai and 外国人 waiguoren are offensive). I’ve had it explained to me that 老外 and 外国人 are not 贬义词, i.e. derogatory. Ｉ beg to differ because 老 is not usually a term of endearment, in fact, it doesn’t even necessarily mean “old” in this context, rather it means “always doing something”, i.e. perpetual. This carries with it the idea that a “foreigner” was, is and always will be regarded as a foreigner no matter how long s/he remains in China. Furthermore, 老外 actually has two meanings, it means “foreigner”, but it can also mean “layperson”, “amateur”. It’s also not the prerogative of the namer to say whether a word is derogative, but the named. The word “foreign”， 外，”outside”, also has the connotations of something unwelcome, not only in English, but also Chinese. This doesn’t spring from imagination. Take, for example， 异, many dictionary definitions of this word are twofold: foreign & unwelcome.
Reasons why Westerners shouldn’t be called foreigners in China:
1) If Westerners are referred to as foreigners in China then China is still an undeveloped country. This is because many Westerners come to China as expatriates who bring skills to China. To refer to them as people who do not belong in the country is a disservice to China and impedes its development.
2) It’s a term that has an annoyingly unending effect. As mentioned above, 老 carries the meaning of unending or unstopping. And it certainly feels that way after being in China for some time and one still walks into a restaurant to hear groups of people saying 老外 among themselves. If a Westerner lives in China many years (and even those who don’t) they should be given the right to be treated as Chinese. This is not the case, because they are judged by their skin colour in the most simplistic manner.
3) To call Westerners foreigners in China is a huge display of ignorance on the part of the person using the word. This is because if you call a Westerner a foreigner it shows you have no idea whatsoever whether the person you are referring to is from Germany, Australia, America, Greece, Russia, etc, etc. White people are all thrown into the same basket - to the shame of the namer.
Reasons why Westerners shouldn’t be called foreigners in Western countries:
1) “Foreigner” means person who has come from another country and visits a new country. If we insist on using this term, it is far more appropriate to apply this term to the Chinese than to White Australians, as generally speaking White Australians have a longer history of being in Australia than the Chinese.
2) To use the term “foreigner” in Western countries shows the inability of the person using the term to change their vocabulary according to their situation. It actually is indicative of how much of a bad habit the term is even within China.
3) “Foreigner” is a term which is not useful within Australia, so Chinese people should adapt to the situation and use it less too. A Chinese person can visit Australia for a year (or even come and live in Australia permanently) and never actually hear an Australian person refer to him/her as a foreigner. This is very different to the Westerner’s experience in China. Most Chinese find an excuse to use the term foreigner when speaking with Westerners regardless of the topic of conversation. If you are a white person visiting China you may hear the word 外国人 or 老外 an average of once a day, unless you sit at home doing nothing but watching TV, but if you’re watching CCTV9 you’ll probably hear the term there anyway.
If you’re a Japanese or other Asian person visiting China you won’t be called 外国人 or 老外 much at all. This is because Chinese people don’t make the distinction between a local and a “foreigner” on the basis of country of origin, rather it is skin colour. Sometimes Chinese people pretend that the term is not used so simplistically and is not based on race, but other Chinese people are more honest than that.
It is occasionally said to me that it’s important to adapt to the culture of the country to which we’re going - in this instance China （入乡随俗） - and not be concerned with such labels as being concerned about it is unChinese. This is hypocritical doublespeak because it is not the Westerner who is failing to adapt, it is the Chinese who persist in labelling. Adapt to the culture? Sure! Treat me as though I was Chinese. Help me adapt.
