Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney said President Obama is electioneering in filing a trade case Monday against China.
“President Obama has spent 43 months failing to confront China’s unfair trade practices,” Romney said in a statement on Monday. “Campaign-season trade cases may sound good on the stump, but it is too little, too late for American businesses and middle-class families.”
Obama’s administration on Monday announced it was filing a trade case against export subsidies it argues China provides to auto and auto parts manufacturers.
{mosads}The case is being filed 50 days before Election Day, and it comes as Obama makes two appearances Monday in manufacturing-heavy Ohio. The president is set to tout the case in addresses in Cincinnati and Columbus.
Romney has criticized Obama for being too weak with China, and he pledged to crack down on Beijing from the first day of his presidency.
“From day one, I will pursue a comprehensive strategy to confront China’s unfair trade practices and ensure a level playing field where our businesses can compete and win,” he said.
The Club for Growth on Monday criticized both presidential candidates for pandering on trade.
“Instead of pandering on trade with China, both presidential candidates ought to tout the benefits that come with free trade,” said the group’s president, Chris Chocola.
“If Romney and Obama are serious about growing our economy, they should focus on cutting the corporate tax rate and eliminating burdensome regulations. China-bashing will only serve to hinder economic growth,” Chocola said in a statement.