Bernie Sanders’ passing criticism of Joe Biden for his support of free trade during the Democratic debate Tuesday night was the only reference to China trade, despite the Trump administration’s current pursuit of a trade deal with Beijing.
The moderators did not ask a trade question. And no candidate during the debate specifically referred to the Trump administration’s attempt to broker a deal with Beijing, even in the context of the Hong Kong protests or the economic turmoil caused by the tariffs the administration has placed on China. The Congressional Budget Office said in August that the tariffs had become a drag on economic growth and could cost families more than $500 a year.
A few did criticize U.S. trade policy in general, but offered little in way of specifics on how they would approach it. “We have had a lot of problems with losing jobs, but the principal reason has been bad trade policy,” Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren said. “The principal reason has been a bunch of corporations, giant multinational corporations who’ve been calling the shots on trade.”
When the former vice president boasted of getting “big things” done during his career as a senator and as a member of President Barack Obama’s administration, Sanders said that was true, but not in a good way. “You got the disastrous war in Iraq done. You got a bankruptcy bill, which is hurting middle-class families all over this country,” he said. “You got trade agreements like NAFTA and PNTR with China done, which have cost us four million jobs.”
NAFTA refers to the 1993 North American Free Trade Agreement while PNTR refers to Permanent Normal Trade Relations.
