Will Obama 2.0 get tougher with China?

By Zhang Guoqing
0 Comment(s)Print E-mail People's Daily, November 14, 2012
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Layers and sparks [By Jiao Haiyang/China.org.cn]

Layers and sparks [By Jiao Haiyang/China.org.cn] 

Although both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney made China-bashing shows in election campaigns, the delivered signal is not so optimistic.

Judging from Romney's radical speeches, many Americans agree to take strong measures against China. Obama will probably make a big fuss on exchange rate issue in his second term of office.

Currently, the primary tasks of the Obama administration are to improve employment and maintain competitive advantage.

The former will impact China' textile and steel industries, which are the competitors of U.S. sunset industry, while the latter will put pressure on China's emerging industries, which can be seen from the suppression of Obama administration on China's Huawei, ZTE and Sany Group.

The U.S. strategy of returning to Asia-Pacific region will also deteriorate the surrounding situation of China during Obama's second term.

Obama will be most likely to take a hardline foreign policy to three countries: Containing China by returning to Asia-Pacific region, preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons and promoting regime change in Syria. Obama will deepen the strategy of returning to the Asia-Pacific, which may increase the uncertainty of geopolitics in the region.

It is not a coincidence that the United States started to refocus on Asia-Pacific region and tightened up the policies on China since China replaced Japan to become the world's second largest economy. Although the United States welcome the rise of China ostensibly, it did not put it into practice.

In order to protect China-U.S. relations, China should be more courageous and tactful to participate in the international game and take some issues more seriously.

Of course, there still is huge room for China-U.S. cooperation and deepening of the cooperation is beneficial to the recovery of U.S. economy. For example, the two sides have extensive cooperative prospects in new energy and China's huge market demand will bring fat profits and employment opportunities for the United States. After all, a China-U.S relationship of more cooperation and less antagonism is the most anticipated.

This author is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/zhangguoqing.htm

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