Top US economists rap protectionism

More than 1,000 top American economists have signed a petition opposing the protectionist policies proposed by the US Congress against China.

The US Senate Banking Committee approved legislation on Wednesday that aims to force the government to get tougher when dealing with China in trade issues.

Last week, the Senate Finance Committee approved legislation that would allow firms to seek higher anti-dumping duties against Chinese companies for what some US senators said a "fundamentally misaligned" currency.