Gary Locke makes argument for Clinton

Gary Locke, former US ambassador to China, said he believes Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton will be a better choice for US-China relations and the Chinese-American community.

Locke, a Democrat, has been campaigning for Clinton lately in New York and Pennsylvania.

Having known Clinton for 20 years from his days as governor of Washington state, Locke described Clinton as one of the architects of President Barack Obama's China policy. "So you will see a continuation of that policy. And she is very firm with the Chinese, they very much respect her," Locke said on Sunday.

He said Republican candidate Donald Trump would be a disaster for US-China relations. He cited the example of a letter he got from Trump when Locke was serving as secretary of commerce. "He spoke the most racist, insulting terms about the Chinese," Locke said. "I still have that letter. It's about trade with China."

Locke said bilateral trade relations benefit both countries and workers in both countries. "That will continue under President Clinton if she is elected," he said.

But he also believes Clinton will be firm with China to make sure it lives up to its agreements and promises, citing the many WTO cases the US has brought against China.

The Obama administration has been described by organizations such as Global Trade Alert, a London-based independent academic and research think tank, as imposing the most protectionist measures of any country since the global financial crisis of 2008.

Locke argued that the US is just following the law and international rules when countries sell their products below cost. He said the US not only has trade issues with China, but also Canada, Germany, France, Mexico and others.

Locke disagreed that the US-China relationship is in a downward spiral. "We're not going downward," he said, adding that the relationship is stronger than it was five years ago, and the days when diplomatic ties was established under president Jimmy Carter and certainly the days when president Richard Nixon made his trip to China.

"Yes, we have differences. Yes, we have frictions. But we also have many more areas of cooperation. Areas of cooperation and mutual benefit far exceed, far outweigh disagreements," Locke said, adding that the US also has disagreements with its allies.

"We have to focus on the positives, not the 5 percent areas of disagreement," he said.

Locke believes that Clinton will continue talk with the Chinese when they have disagreements. "So we are going to build on our strength, our good relationship, good aspects of our relationship and hope that can lead the way to solving some of these disputes," he said.

chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com