The 2026 Milan Winter Olympics has not only attracted global attention to the sports events themselves, but also sparked interest in some participating athletes for various reasons. Chinese-American skier Eileen Gu, representing China in the competition, has become one of the hot topics of this year’s Winter Olympics. Following comments from the US Vice President, some opinions were also expressed by US Treasury Secretary Beznert on Friday regarding Gu’s representation of China.
In this Winter Olympics, Eileen Gu competed in the women’s freestyle skiing halfpipe final on Saturday (February 21). She won silver medals in the previous two events.
During an interview on the Fox News show “The Will Cain Show” on Friday, US Treasury Secretary Beznert mentioned Gu being one of the biggest competitors to the US by representing China. “The US has been good to her, but she betrayed herself and sided with China,” said Beznert.
The Secretary referred to Vice President Wans’ comments on the show “The Story With Martha McCallum” on February 17, stating that “I certainly think that those who grew up in the United States, benefiting from our education system, enjoying freedom and rights (which make America great), would want to represent the US.”
According to USA Today, Eileen Gu responded to Wans’ comments, saying, “I’m flattered. Thanks, JD (Wans)! So thoughtful.”
Chinese affairs expert Zhang Jiadun told Fox Digital News that Eileen Gu “should consider herself fortunate to be born an American. Four years ago, generous America allowed her to represent China in the Beijing Olympics, and later allowed her to return to the US. If the situation were reversed, had she been born in China, the Chinese government would not have been so forgiving.”
Eileen Gu grew up in California, her mother being a first-generation Chinese immigrant. Her freestyle skiing career has been commercially successful from the start. Since June 2019, she chose to represent China and participated in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics for China, and now again in the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics.
When she decided to represent China in 2019, she described it as an “extremely difficult” decision.
Since then, Eileen Gu has faced criticism from the international community, especially from Americans. In Milan’s Winter Olympics, controversies surrounding her seem to have reached a peak. Many compare her with Alysa Liu, a Chinese-American figure skater representing the US, who won the first individual figure skating gold medal for the US in over twenty years at the Milan Winter Olympics.
Since deciding to compete for China, Eileen Gu has become the highest-earning Winter Olympics athlete globally. In just 2025, she earned around $23 million through collaborations with Chinese banks and Western companies.
Critics online even refer to Eileen Gu as “Eileen Money.” One netizen praised Alysa Liu as a true Chinese-American upholding American values and proudly representing the US team.
Eileen Gu has never publicly criticized the Chinese government for its alleged human rights violations, such as the systematic repression of Uighurs and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang, or the detention of Jimmy Lai. However, during this Winter Olympics, her remarks criticizing the US President have been questioned and criticized by Americans, who believe she has never dared to speak out about human rights issues in China and is now openly criticizing the US President as a Chinese athlete.
In an interview with TIME magazine, Eileen Gu was asked about her views on the Chinese government’s alleged persecution of minorities like the Uighurs in Xinjiang. She said, “I haven’t done any research. I don’t think it’s my business. I won’t make any statements on social media.”
“I have always been skeptical of data…So, I won’t read an article and say, ‘Oh, this must be the truth.’ I need a lot of evidence. I may need to go to the scene myself, interview ten firsthand informants who have experienced local life. Then, I need to look at pictures, listen to recordings, consider how history has influenced everything. After that, I need to read books on how politics affects everything. It’s a lifelong exploration,” she said. “Making me a mouthpiece for any agenda is irresponsible.”
On the other hand, Alysa Liu’s father, Liu Jun, participated in the Tiananmen Square incident in 1989 and resettled in the US in the 1990s under political asylum. Alysa Liu refused to represent China and has become a target of surveillance by the Chinese government. She thanked the FBI for protecting her and her family.