Romney: Obama's Asia "pivot" will fail

AP Photo/Charles Dharapak

As tensions simmer between the U.S. and China over trade and human rights, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is warning in a new op-ed that "the dawn of a Chinese century--and the end of an American one--is not inevitable."

And President Obama, Romney argues in the Wall Street Journal, "is moving in precisely the wrong direction."

The Obama administration pulled out all the stops this week to welcome China's Vice President Xi Jinping, the man expected to be China's next president.

In his op-ed, Romney charges that Mr. Obama's meeting with Xi amounted to "empty pomp and ceremony." He says Mr. Obama came into office "as a near supplicant to Beijing, almost begging it to continue buying American debt so as to finance his profligate spending here at home," while castigating Mr. Obama for not properly addressing China's human rights issues.

In his public remarks to Xi, Mr. Obama took a welcoming but stern tone. Mr. Obama said the U.S. welcomes "China's peaceful rise" in the world, but he added, "We want to work with China to make sure that everybody is working by the same rules of the road when it comes to the world economic system." He said that on "critical issues like human rights," the U.S. will continue to emphasize to China the aspirations and rights of all people.

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While Romney and Mr. Obama seem to have similar ideas about the nature of the United States' relationship with China, Romney argues that Mr. Obama's "pivot" to put more focus on relations with Asia "may prove to be as gimmicky and vacuous."

Mr. Obama's renewed focus on Asia-Pacific relations includes an expanded military presence in Australia, though his budget calls for a slimmed down military overall.

"The pivot is also vastly under-resourced," Romney charges. "Despite his big talk about bolstering our military position in Asia, President Obama's actions will inevitably weaken it."

Romney also promises to be much more aggressive with China on the economic front.

"Unless China changes its ways, on day one of my presidency I will designate it a currency manipulator and take appropriate counteraction," he writes. "A trade war with China is the last thing I want, but I cannot tolerate our current trade surrender."

[nearl451]

Tough old Mitt (yeah I'm laughing too) is threatening to REALLY get tough with our creditor.......one day ,,,,,,,,,of his Presidency........unilaterally.......w/o Congress......


What more can be said?

[Jswiss1]

If Romney does happen to get into office, I won't be surprised if he engages us in another senselss War. That's something (despite some of his short-falls) Obama would not do. This guy "Mitt", true piece of work people.

[skyk801]

Anyone buying ANYTHING the Parasite is selling is a FOOL! IF we listen to him General Motors DOES NOT exist! He's concerned about Himself and the 1%.. end of story!

[expatriate2]

Speaking of failures, Mitt, how's the campaign going?

[enlightenu]

Romney you will fail. Go home.

[w_roos]

Hey Gin Rummey, go focus on winning your home state, and leave the governing to others.

[jjoe57]

Romney appears to be taking a contrarian view about anything and everything that President Obama does. Just because Romney is campaigning to replace Obama doesn't mean he has to automatially disagree with every policy of the administration. His candidacy is beginning to be silly.

[skyk801]

jjoe57, well he HAS to do that or he doesn't even get out the gate with the Present Day Republican Party. When NO ONE knows where you stand on ANYTHING though... who knows what he'll actually DO on anything. This guy went from wanting to let General Motors go under to being responsible for the Idea that saved it! LMAO He should just pack it in... he is about as dishonest a human as I've ever encountered.

[USSAmerikan]

We need another four years of Obama so we can be as cool and as chic as the Europeans, with the amazing version of Socialism that provides for everyone, regardless of color, race or willingness to work. Free healthcare, free drugs, free everything! Heck, in Spain's heyday a few years back, when unemployment was only about 12%, many in the 12% simply did not need to look for a job and the country filled up with immigrants from North Africa and South America (Sudacas) who were willing to work for their daily bread. I am still on the fence, but will vote for Obama if he issues everyone a free cool Basque beret as well! You guys are absolutely right on the fact that the Republicans and all of their End of the World scenarios about our debt levels are idiotic and completely inconsequential, as none of us will have to repay our foreign debt...

[skyk801]

USSAmerikan, I know you aren't smart enough to figure this out yet but your Talking Points show just how UNEDUCATED you truly are. If this President is a Socialist what would you call the Greatest Generation? They didn't do to bad you know. Yep! They lead us out of the Great Depression, through a World War and on to become the Greatest in the World... didn't do it with Trickle Down though. In fact THEY used the EXACT same methods as the President is proposing. Now IF you had NOT dropped out in the 4th Grade you'd know that, wouldn't you? LMAO Stop embarrassing yourself with the "Socialism" BS! Idiots fall for that.. always have.

[AOCGUY]

US, could you do yourself and everyone here that reads you posts a favor and study up on Socialism. Clearly you have no freakin idea what it really is, all you are doing is repeating red herrings tossed out to the uneducated to appeal to their emotions.

[antoniof123]

Quick where is the next staw for me to grasp for.

What an idiot this guy is I mean and the Republicans think they have a winner?

[skyk801]

antoniof123, It does seem as though they have gone completely around the bend. But then what can they do? IF they try to sell that same tired old "Give the Rich a Tax Cut and things will be just GREAT" line again they will loose so badly it will be unbelievable.

[Ben37221]

They he goes again. Romney, a man who does not know what he is talking about. The president's Asia strategy is a very smart one. If America is going to compete globally, America must be where the the markets are expanding very fast-which is Asia. Boeing will disagree with Romney after they just signed around $20 billion deal with Indonasia.Nor would the American tire industry agree with Romney after the administration stop China from dumping their tires in the US.Romney need to go back to being a vulture capitalist. Presidency is not in his stars

[skyk801]

Ben37221, after watching and listening to this Party for the last 30 plus years, who would believe anything they say? They got NOTHING but Attacks.. NO ideas, NO solutions, can't compromise, can't govern.. just sling mud.. That's it!