I would not have Xi Jinping to dinner, says Fiorina

Presidential hopeful Carly Fiorina joined her Republican rivals yesterday in saying Chinese President Xi Jinping should not be honoured with a state dinner at the White House.

The former Hewlett-Packard CEO said during a national security forum in South Carolina that she still would meet privately with Xi. But she said she would cancel the dinner as just one step in a new hard line against Beijing, which she criticised for cybersecurity threats, Xi’s military buildup in the South China Sea and human rights abuses.

After strong debate performances, Fiorina has climbed into the top tier of Republican candidates according to poll results.

Fiorina identified China, together with Russia and Iran, as aggressors that she would curtail if elected. President Barack Obama had dealt meekly with the three nations, Fiorina argued, comparing the trio to misbehaving children.

‘‘What happens if you let your teenager do bad stuff over and over, what do they do? Bad stuff,’’ she said, drawing a mix of laughter and applause at The Citadel military college in Charleston. ‘‘Well, it’s true of China and [others].’’

Fiorina did not explicitly promise military action against China, suggesting she would use ‘‘economic leverage’’ instead.

In the midst of a campaign that has rewarded candidates who don’t hold elected office, Fiorina is looking to bolster her standing by emphasising her foreign policy knowledge and experience gleaned over her years as a technology executive and a civilian adviser to the Central Intelligence Agency and other foreign affairs officials.

As president, Fiorina said she ‘‘would not tolerate’’ Xi building military outposts in the South China Sea. ‘‘Five trillion dollars of trade goes through the South China Sea every year, and China wants to be the chokepoint.’’

Fiorina did not say whether she might use US military force in the matter, instead saying the US should help other Asia-Pacific nations quash ‘‘China’s control of that strait.’’

She also said the US would seek ‘‘retribution and consequences’’ for China’s intellectual property theft from US firms. And she blamed the Chinese Government for the theft of personal data of millions of current and former US Government employees.

China has insisted it was not responsible for the hack.

The US has not publicly provided direct evidence China was responsible.