Of course, moving is comparatively easy and isn’t stigmatized.
That doesn’t work so well when the nationality is also associated with physical differences. If a white person were to say “I feel I’m really Chinese”, and it was clear that he meant it and it wasn’t just a metaphor meaning “I studied China a lot”, people would think he’s an idiot. And nobody ever wants to get an operation to make their facial features look more Chinese because they feel they are Chinese. Furthermore, he need not express an interest in moving to do this—what if he says “I feel I’m Chinese-American” (in the same sense that a person with Chinese heritage is, again not just meaning “I studied China”)?
That doesn’t work so well when the nationality is also associated with physical differences. If a white person were to say “I feel I’m really Chinese”, and it was clear that he meant it and it wasn’t just a metaphor meaning “I studied China a lot”, people would think he’s an idiot. And nobody ever wants to get an operation to make their facial features look more Chinese because they feel they are Chinese. Furthermore, he need not express an interest in moving to do this—what if he says “I feel I’m Chinese-American” (in the same sense that a person with Chinese heritage is, again not just meaning “I studied China”)?