Beijing wary of tough talk by American candidates
BEIJING— Richer and more assertive since the last U. S. presidential campaign, China is looking at the harsh anti- Chinese sentiment being expressed by both candidates with a mixture of aloofness and unease.
The Chinese say they are accustomed to China- bashing during the U. S. election season, but there is growing concern among government officials, business executives and academics here that this time the attitude toward China among the U. S. public and politicians is so hot it may not cool after Election Day.
From accusations of unfair trade practices to a discussion of whether it is proper for the candidates to have investments in Chinese companies, the word “China” came up 22 times, negatively, in the debate between President Barack Obama andMitt Romney last week.
In the final presidential debateMonday night, where foreign policy will be the main subject, China is likely to be a center of attention again.
Icy differences
The relationship between China and the U. S. has become more brittle in the past two years, with differences over trade and strategic interests stoking U. S. fears that China is infringing on the United States’ long- standing influence in Asia.
The Chinese watch with growing alarm as their country has become a frequent target of blame for the weakness in the U. S. jobmarket. “The U. S. general election, originally thought only a battle over domestic issues— the economy, fiscal deficit and health care— has now embroiled China as a punching bag,” said Fred Hu, chairman of Primavera Capital, a private equity group in Beijing, and former chairman of Goldman Sachs Asia.
“The noises from the campaign trail are quite disconcerting. It remains to be seen whether the shrill campaign rhetoric about China will just remain as bombast.”
Business questions
The fears over China in the United States, experts here note, are not limited to the campaign trail. Last month Obama cited national security concerns as the reason for ordering a Chinese company to divest its shares in wind farm projects near a Navy testing facility in Oregon.
A congressional report called the Chinese telecommunications company Huawei a national security threat.
Historically, Chinese governments have favored GOP administrations, preferring their perceived stability in foreign policy, Chinese academics say. They were closely acquainted with and liked George H. W. Bush, who was an ambassador to China and head of the Central Intelligence Agency before becoming president in 1989.
But those were different times, when the relationship was less interdependent, less vital to the global economy. Chinese government leaders know little about Romney, analysts here said, and view him as a new kind of Republican who is more conservative than those they have known.
In some respects, the Chinese government would probably prefer a continuation of the Obama administration, they added, on the basis that the incumbent is a known quantity.