China bashing has become a cottage industry during this Presidential season. Whether it’s griping about the trade deficit, decrying the amount of our debt China owns, or skewering China’s currency policies, Americans see bogeymen around nearly every corner. The merits of such concerns are debatable, and I gladly leave those arguments to policy wonks and modern-day China watchers. But, it is important to remember that our relationship with China goes all the way back to the beginning of the Republic, and in those dramatic and tempestuous years of America’s youth, the China trade provided a much needed, and greatly appreciated boost to the American economy. Back then, China wasn’t a threat, it was a golden opportunity.
Read Full Article »
