China-bashing remains a routine for the U.S. presidential race this year. Both Democratic and Republican presidential candidates want to appear tougher on China.
Like previous U.S. presidential races, China is neither the core topic nor ultimate target for the election this year, though it has been repeatedly mentioned. The attention of the two candidates has been focused on specific measures for improving the people’s livelihood and policies concerning the country’s development direction. China has only been mentioned a limited number of times.
This shows that among all domestic and foreign challenges facing the United States, China is still not the most pressing or dangerous challenge.
However, this year’s presidential race has three differences from previous ones in China-related affairs
First, the United States is suffering the most severe economic woes in decades. The two major U.S. parties cannot find effective policies for improving the economy, and have thus reached consensus on protectionism.
