President Barack
Obama says China is creating “an unfair playing field” by imposing
excessive duties on exports of American automobiles. The president spoke
during a campaign visit to a city where many residents work at an
automobile factory.
Obama went to Toledo, Ohio, Thursday, hours after his administration
requested consultations at the World Trade Organization. The U.S. is
accusing China of unfairly slapping more than $3 billion in duties on
American-made vehicles.
“That is why my administration brought trade cases against China at a
faster pace than the previous administration, and we won those cases,"
the president said. "Just this morning, my administration took a new
action to hold China accountable for unfair trade practices that harm
American automakers.”
Several thousand people in the Toledo area work at factories where Jeep
trucks are built.
The president’s visit was the first of several campaign stops on a
two-day bus tour through the manufacturing states of Ohio and
Pennsylvania, which many experts believe could be pivotal in the
November election.
“Americans and American workers build better products than anybody
else," said Obama. "So as long as we are competing on a fair playing
field instead of an unfair playing field, we will do just fine. But we
are going to make sure that competition is fair.”
Obama’s likely Republican opponent, Mitt Romney, has accused the
president of being too soft on China on trade practices and other
issues.
Republican
Tim Pawlenty, former governor of the state of Minnesota, campaigned for
Romney in Ohio on Thursday. He said the president has broken his promise
to get tough with China on trade.
The president’s press secretary, Jay Carney, said Thursday the Obama
administration has been successful in all six previous challenges to
Chinese duties on American products, ranging from steel to chicken.
On the campaign trail, Obama is portraying himself as more of an
advocate for working-class Americans than Romney, who was a wealthy
businessman before entering politics.
Romney says his business experience will help him create jobs as
president.
Obama’s bus tour concludes Friday as the U.S. unemployment figures for
June are released.
The president said Thursday this year’s election will set the course of
the nation’s economy for the next decade and beyond.
