WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- As U.S. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama are stepping up attacks in their election campaigns against each other involving China, the topic of China is quickly becoming a political card in this year's presidential elections.
Experts say the reason is that it is relatively risk-free.
However, these attacks are worrying many, as they could lead to trade wars and further damaging the U.S. economy if the candidates were forced to honor them next year when they were voted into office.
The first draw of this round of attacks was made by Romney. The former Massachusetts governor told supporters at a Virginia campaign event last week that it was China's "undervalued" currency -- the Chinese yuan -- that forced U.S. manufacturers out of their jobs. His campaign, meanwhile, released an ad blaming Obama of being "soft" with China's "cheating," turning a blind eye to the fact that the Chinese currency has so far appreciated more than 30 percent against the U.S. dollar since Beijing began to reform its exchange rate regime in 2005.
The Obama campaign responded this week by criticizing Romney of sending American jobs to China by investing in Chinese companies during his tenure at Bain Capital, a private equity firm Romney ran before entering politics.
The Obama administration also brought up a major trade case at the World Trade Organization (WTO) against China's subsidies to its automobile industry at the same day as Obama visited the industry-heavy swing-state of Ohio. The administration has brought up two major complaints at the WTO against China in the past two months, both during the same week as Obama visited the crucial state.
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