Clinton’s China Advisor Quits

For Hillary Clinton, the Pennsylvania primary is a do-or-die battle. But right at this crucial moment, her China adviser quit because of his dissatisfaction with Clinton’s anti-China policy. The consultant said that Clinton’s China accusation is downright misleading.

It was quoted by Phoenix TV (Hong Kong) on the 23rd from the well-known American political news website that Hillary Clinton’s recent attack on China made her senior Chinese adviser Rick Baum (Bao Ruijia in Chinese) very unhappy. Rick Baum is a senior China Studies Professor at UCLA as well as a famous China expert all over America. In January, he was hired as Senior Adviser to Clinton.

Recently, in an inferior position in the presidential campaign, Clinton started playing the China card. She condemned China’s human rights violation as well as wanton accusations on China’s monetary policy. She once even publicly asked President Bush to boycott the opening ceremony of the Beijing Summer Olympics in August.

In his email to the press, Baum said that his team of consultants had suggested that Hillary Clinton not to be too keen to criticize the Chinese over the past three months. However, she did not heed their suggestions.

In Baum’s opinion, Clinton’s accusation of China, such as blaming the U.S. economic problem on China, is wrong. He regretted that his candidate used this kind of “low-level strategy” in order to win her nomination for presidency. He thought that the U.S. economic problem is attributable mainly to higher spending, deficit spending and selective protectionism in international trade. It has little to do with China. Regarding human rights issues, Baum held that putting forward “constructive views” would be easier and more helpful for the US to communicate with Beijing. Constant criticism, or even humiliation, would not be responded to favorably.

Hilary Clinton’s side has not yet expressed their views on Baum’s withdrawal.

Meanwhile, in a speech at the University of Southern California, the U.S. Ambassador to China Clark Randt also pointed out that China’s rise provided opportunities for the United States. For the United States, the greatest threat to the economy is not China replacing the US economically, but China’s economic collapse. Randt also said it was regrettable to hear recent comments about China from CNN.*

*Editor’s Note-On April 9th, Jack Cafferty, CNN Network Commentator, referred to the Chinese leaders as “a bunch of goons and thugs” and to its products as “junk”.