Experts urge US presidential hopefuls to cool harsh campaign rhetoric
Harsh campaign rhetoric about China from both US presidential candidates is a big foreign policy mistake that will hurt bilateral ties, experts from each country said on Thursday.
The next American president should adjust to the rising economic power of China, welcome Chinese investment, manage any conflict and increase cooperation, they said.
Challenger Mitt Romney has vowed that he would label China a "currency manipulator" if he makes it to the White House, and he reiterated during Wednesday's presidential debate that he would take on China in trade disputes as one of his five economic fixing plans.
Both President Obama and Romney have blamed China for American job losses and a trade deficit, and have also criticized each other for outsourcing jobs to China.
In a panel discussion on Wednesday afternoon before the first presidential debate, Henry Kissinger, former US secretary of state, said both candidates had been making irresponsible comments about China during the campaign.
"In each country there are domestic pressures that emphasize disagreements that arise, and we see that in our political campaign, in which both candidates are using language that I find extremely deplorable," Kissinger said at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington.
"Both used the word 'cheat' as applied to China, in trade," Kissinger added, saying that "theoreticians" unschooled in the nuances of the US-China relationship "want to turn this into a crusade."
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