Romney, Obama See China As Potential Partner Despite Campaign Rhetoric

摘要

Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and President Obama both stressed during the final presidential debate this week that while they believe China needs to do much more to abide by international trade rules, they nonetheless also see China as a potential partner on the world stage. Romney, for instance, stated explicitly that the U.S. can collaborate with China "if they're willing to be responsible," adding that the U.S. does not have to be an "adversary" of China "in any way, shape or form." In fact, when criticizing the current state of the U.S. economy, Romney argued that weaker economic growth in the U.S. has actually proven to be a deterrent to closer relations with China, thereby signaling that closer relations could be a positive development. "Now, they look at us and say, 'Is it a good idea to be with America?'" Romney said in the Oct. 22 debate. "They look at the fact that we owe them a trillion dollars and owe other people 16 trillion [dollars] in total, including them. They look at America's commitments around the world and they see what's happening and they say, well, OK, is America going to be strong? And the answer is yes. If I'm president, America will be very strong." Obama took a similar approach in his comments last night. He characterized China as "both an adversary but also a potential partner in the international community, if it's following the rules."