Republican presidential candidate Scott Walker on Monday called on President Barack Obama to show “some backbone” and cancel an upcoming state visit by the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, blaming turmoil in US markets on Monday on China’s recent currency devaluation.
“Americans are struggling to cope with the fall in today’s markets driven in part by China’s slowing economy and the fact that they actively manipulate their economy,” Walker said in a statement issued by his campaign. “Rather than honoring Chinese President Xi Jinping with an official state visit next month, President Obama should focus on holding China accountable over its increasing attempts to undermine US interests.”
“There’s serious work to be done rather than pomp and circumstance,” Walker said. “We need to see some backbone from President Obama.”
The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 3.6% on Monday, after the Shanghai composite index fell 8.5%.
Obama has met with Xi every year going back to 2012, when Xi was vice-president, for talks on cybersecurity and cyber-attacks, the militarization of the South China Sea, carbon emissions and human rights. China produces 20% of all US imports and is the third-largest consumer of US goods.
Walker, the governor of Wisconsin, did not speculate on the risks of derailing the relationship by abruptly canceling the state visit, which is planned for September and which would be the first official visit by a Chinese president since Obama hosted Hu Jintao in 2011.
It was the second time in as many weeks that Walker, who has been slipping in presidential polling in Iowa and elsewhere, echoed a high-profile attack line by Republican frontrunner Donald Trump.
Last week, Walker called for an end to birthright citizenship after Trump floated the idea in an outline of his immigration policy. Walker appeared to walk back that idea at the weekend.
On Monday, after US markets opened steeply down, Trump moved on to China.
As I have long stated, we are so tied in with China and Asia that their markets are now taking the U.S. market down. Get smart U.S.A.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 24, 2015
Markets are crashing - all caused by poor planning and allowing China and Asia to dictate the agenda. This could get very messy! Vote Trump.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 24, 2015
Walker’s has not been the only voice, however, calling for a cancellation of next month’s festivities. Last month, activists in China and the United States urged Obama to cancel the visit in protest over what they say has been a deteriorating record on human rights under Xi.
A petition sent to the White House website said: “Since Xi Jinping came to power, China’s human rights record has kept worsening.
“Xi’s state visit to the US scheduled for September this year should be cancelled, and all official exchanges with the Chinese government should be suspended until this matter is resolved.”
Xi is to pay a state visit to Britain in October.
