The preferred villain of US politicians on the make
Business Times - 11 Oct 2011 The preferred villain of US politicians on the make By LEON HADAR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT TAKING swipes at China has been a Washington pastime for years. China's growing economy and its military assertiveness at a time when the foundations of American economic power and geo-strategic pre-eminence are eroding make it a convenient scapegoat for Democrats and Republicans. They accuse the Chinese of stealing American jobs and threatening US military interests in East Asia, hoping to appeal to the distressed voter (never mind that America's economic problems have very little to do with China and that the US continues to outspend and outperform in the military arena). But every time tensions in Sino-US relations seemed to be getting out of hand you could depend on the countervailing forces of American businesses, the free traders on Capitol Hill and the 'grown-ups' in the White House and the Senate (considered to be a less populist and more delib...