Obama mentioned China five times in his State of the Union Address, and his wording on China became tougher

Obama's State of the Union Address mentioned China five times and his wording on China became tougher China News Service, Washington, January 24 (Reporter Wu Qingcai De...

China News Service, Washington, January 24 (Reporters Wu Qingcai and Tok Yongjian) U.S. President Obama mentioned China five times in his third State of the Union Address delivered on the evening of the 24th. Compared with the previous two State of the Union Addresses, the number of times Obama mentioned China has increased year by year, and his tone has also changed significantly. His attitude towards China's trade has obviously become tougher. However, the relevant words were immediately refuted by American business leaders who have business in China.

Obama followed tradition and delivered the State of the Union address to Congress during prime time that night. This was his third and last State of the Union address during his current term. In the three consecutive State of the Union addresses, "China" has without exception become one of the countries that appears most frequently in Obama's speeches, and the number of occurrences has also increased from 2 times in 2010 to 4 times in 2011 and 5 times this year.

Obama mentioned China five times that night, all of which were related to the economy. He mentioned China for the first time within a few minutes of the opening paragraph. When he encouraged American companies to bring jobs back to the United States from abroad, he said: "We can't take back all the jobs that have been transferred abroad, but now they are in The cost of doing business in countries like China is getting higher and higher, and at the same time, the production capacity of the United States is getting stronger and stronger."

When Obama mentioned China for the second time, his attitude became tougher. He said: "In order to open up new markets for American products, I am willing to go anywhere in the world. I will not stand idly by when our competitors do not play by the rules. We have filed almost twice as many trade cases against China as the previous administration, and this has paid off."

To prove the effectiveness of the so-called trade remedy cases against China, Obama mentioned China for the third time. He gave an example: "We blocked it. Thanks to the influx of Chinese tires, more than a thousand Americans have jobs today. "

When referring to China for the fourth time, Obama's words were stronger. He announced the establishment of a trade enforcement department specifically responsible for investigating so-called "unfair trade practices" in countries like China.

Finally, when advocating the clean energy policy he has promoted since taking office, Obama said that he would not withdraw his commitment to clean energy because of resistance. He emphasized that he "will not hand over the wind energy, solar energy or (high-tech) battery industry to China or Germany."

Throughout the three State of the Union addresses, Obama's China-related rhetoric has changed significantly. In his first State of the Union address in 2010, he emphasized that China has the fastest railway trains and new factories that produce clean energy products, and loudly declared that he "will not accept the United States being reduced to second place", which means that competition with China has a strong meaning; by 2011, Obama's mentality changed to inheritance. Recognizing China's leading position in certain fields means using "China as an example" and learning from China; and this time it flaunted the number of trade remedy cases against China and announced the establishment of a new agency targeting China, showing that its attitude towards trade with China has become tougher and it has taken practical actions.

Compared with previous presidents, obvious differences can also be seen. In the past, China often appeared in the US President's State of the Union address as the target of "teaching," "education," and even "help." For example, in 1999, Clinton said condescendingly in the State of the Union address: "We must help China integrate into the world." In 2008, George W. Bush also claimed It is necessary to "help" China make better use of clean energy, but by the time of Obama, it no longer had such a high profile. He was even worried that the United States would fall behind China and "become the second best". Even though Bush claimed to help China in the clean energy field, Obama had always been worried about falling behind China.

Obama's speech was delivered against the backdrop of the upcoming 2012 US presidential election. Some analysts believe that this may be the reason why he has become tougher on China. Since this year is an election year, Republican candidates have begun to hype China issues. Obama's tough stance on trade issues with China is intended to win over some voters and avoid giving the Republican Party any excuse.

However, before Obama's speech was over, the U.S.-China Business Council, which represents nearly 240 companies doing business in China, sang a "counter-argument", especially against the tire case mentioned by Obama. "We do not agree that the imposition of tariffs on China's low-end tires will have any positive impact on U.S. jobs and the economy. All evidence shows that the beneficiaries are other low-end tire manufacturers in Asia and Mexico, while U.S. companies have switched from low-end tires to higher-value products that reflect our production and technological advantages."

Fu Qiangen pointed out that China has become the fastest-growing major export market of the United States. Since 2000, U.S. exports to China have grown at an average annual rate of 15%, which is unique in the world. He emphasized that when trade frictions occur with China, "U.S. companies have multiple options, and direct negotiation with China is the best first way to deal with U.S.-China commercial issues." End