国际英语新闻:Interview: U.S. expert calls White House chief strategist's comments on China "irresponsib

BUFFALO, United States, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- White House chief strategist Steve Bannon's recent comments on the U.S.-China relations are "irresponsible," said a leading American global business expert.

By "ratcheting up the rhetoric" against China, it may be "a strategy" of Bannon to "perhaps gain more in terms of putting pressure on (China)," from a negotiating standpoint, said John Manzella, CEO of the World Trade Center Buffalo Niagara, New York State, in an interview with Xinhua on Thursday.

It is "nothing new" that U.S. politicians pointing fingers at a foreign country for some immediate political gains at home, Manzella said.

SCAPEGOAT GAME

Bannon said in an unusual interview Wednesday with The American Prospect that the United States was at "economic war with China" and he warned that "one of us is going to be a hegemon in 25 or 30 years and it's gonna be them if we go down this path."

"I'm not really sure what the intention is there by Mr. Bannon, but I do think those comments are irresponsible," Manzella said.

"During the (19)80s when the U.S. incurred some severe difficulties, politicians to a large extent scapegoated Japan. Then in the (19)90s and 2000s, When you saw certain areas and certain industries that were hurt, Mexico became the scapegoat. Now, China has become the scapegoat," he said.

Manzella said it is unfair to blame China for the loss of the manufacturing jobs, because 80 percent of the loss was "a result of automation not trade."

"The bottom line is it's misinformation," he explained. "The bottom line is automation which is tremendously positive force because it boosts productivity, and productivity is the number one factor increasing our (standard) of living,"

But automation does have a "short-term downfall," he said. "And that is today you may have just a few people producing a product where 10 years ago you had 15 people."

"So it does result in the loss of jobs which requires people to learn more and more skills and to upgrade their skills on a daily basis. And that's difficult," he said.

"The problem is most people are spending time working one or two jobs to take care of their families, they are theoretically putting out fires every week," Manzella said. "Most people don't have time to delve into the economic details, so you will hear this rhetoric from politicians that are very often trying to whip up support from their constituents."

TRADE OF MUTUAL BENEFITS

As the world's largest and second largest economies, the U.S. and China are "strong trading partners," and "in some ways we're mutually dependent on each other," he said.

"It's not a fight. It's mutually beneficial trade," said Manzella, referring to Bannon's warning that Washington is losing the fight but is about to hit China hard over unfair trade practices.

He noted that it is not surprising that the U.S. and China have trade disputes given the huge scope and magnitude of the bilateral trade relations.

"There are a number of companies that I've talked to that feel that they have been treated poorly in terms of entering the Chinese market...But I hear very good things as well, "he added. "So I think that depends on who you talk to and like any trading relationship there are areas where things are going well and there are other areas where things are not going so well."

"I think overall though, it's a very strong relationship. I think it is important that we maintain that strength and that beneficial working together attitude," Manzella said.

"And I don't believe China is an enemy, we are competitors, but I think competition is a good thing," Manzella, who authored several books including "A Global America: Understanding Global and Economic Trends and How To Ensure Competitiveness.

He pointed out that the U.S.-China cooperation is of greater importance against the backdrop of a fast-evolving world order with so many uncertainties and potential dangers.

"I think it's essential for the U.S. and China to cooperate," he emphasized. "By having the relationship disintegrated benefits absolutely nobody. It will hurt U.S. workers. It will hurt U.S. companies. It will hurt Chinese workers and Chinese companies. There's absolutely no upside."

"I understand some of the (U.S. politicians) rhetoric is designed to improve the U.S. negotiating position. Sometimes politicians will do that. But it's essential that we remain very good friends and close allies. I think again by working together we can improve the world as a whole."

"Friends can achieve much more than enemies," he said. "By combining our strengths, we can be a real strong force in the world for the fight of terrorism for example, or the elimination of pollutants to improve the environment."

Statistics show China has become the largest trade partner of the U.S., while the latter is China's second largest.

Bilateral trade surged nearly 207-fold to 519.6 billion U.S. dollars in 2016, from the level in 1979 when the countries established diplomatic ties. Trade with China helps each American family save 850 dollars every year. Bilateral trade and mutual investment in 2015 created 2.6 million jobs for the United States.