1.    Trade and China policy is on the upswing for Dem presidential candidate attention.   Here is the wrapup from the NPR radio debate today.

Urging a Tougher China Policy

Trade has also become a major concern for American voters, even in Iowa, which enjoys a large trade surplus with the rest of the world. Many Democrats are skeptical that globalization is positive for the U.S. economy. Several of the candidates said the government should take a tougher line against China.

"We have not been the best negotiators, and often times, we're negotiating on behalf of Wall Street instead of Main Street," Obama said.

Edwards echoed that view, saying big corporations are driving American policy toward China. "They get their way and the American people lose."

Clinton responded to a young mother's question about dangerous toys from China, saying the Bush administration has "essentially defanged the Consumer Products Safety Commission."

Edwards and Dodd, who both have young children, vowed not to buy any Chinese-made toys this Christmas. "My toys are coming from Iowa," Dodd joked.

(Read more)

2.    Clinton wants to take a "hard look" at the WTO before continuing talks - from BNA.  Subscription only.

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) said Nov. 30 that, as president, she would take a "hard look" at the World Trade Organization negotiations "to see what works and what doesn't work" before engaging further in the talks.
Clinton said that the so-called "trade time-out" that she has previously proposed would not necessarily apply to the WTO talks. But she did say that, if elected, she would not "pick up" where the Bush administration left off.
"There is nothing protectionist about this," Clinton said in an interview with the Financial Times. "It is a responsible course. The alternative is simply to pick up where President Bush left off, and that's not an option."
A transcript of Clinton's remarks was released on Dec. 3.
Clinton, who is the national front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, also said that she is not calling for a "totally different" approach to trade than has been taken in the past but merely saying that "we have to take stock of where we are today."
"We have benefited through most of the 20th century from trade," Clinton said. "It has helped to raise American standards of living. It has helped to create jobs."
She said that current "provisions"--without elaborating--prevent countries from enforcing strong environmental and worker-safety rules under the WTO. "I think we have to take a hard look at this and do it in the right way," she said, "and that is what I am proposing to do."

3.    The Dem-supporting blog, DailyKos, has this expanded version of the Dem debate answers on China and trade:

Second Topic: China

Question: Given China's size, manufacturing, military, etc.  Who has more leverage -- China or the US?

Edwards: US has two long term challenges, terrorism and China.  Bush has done nothing about China.  We know little about what they're doing with their military, propping up bad regimes, polluting.  They're growing, America is stronger, but we need to engage China.

Obama: Three issues: 1. Get our own fiscal house in order.  2. China making huge inroads in Africa while US is absent.  3. We don't negotiate well, they are competitors.  We negotiation for Wall Street instead of Main Street.  US still superpower, but need to think of 10-50 years from now.

Kucinich: Only one here who voted against China trade.  We're borrowing money from China to pay for war in Iraq.  We need to stop arms race, get them to transition our of nuclear and coal. 

Clinton: We have more leverage, but we're not using it.  Bush policies have handicapped us.  Need a coherent strategic relationship, or China will have the leverage.

Question: If our balance of trade is upside down with China, why not put on a tarrif and keep the American people from buying cheap Chinese goods.

Biden: With WTO guidelines we could stop these products now.  China isn't that great, has many people in poverty.  We've yielded to corporate America and the Bush view of trade.  Not willing to go to tarrifs, just enforce the law.

Dodd: Adversarial relationship.  Slave labor.  Not a competition.  We need to enforce existing laws.

Question: How do we level the playing field?

Obama:  Dodd and Biden had good point on laws.  We're still treating them as if they were a poor country.  Japan makes China follow their rules to get to their market.  We haven't used the tools we have.  US companies have moved there and are shipping here and are special interests.

Edwards: Corporate America driving this issue.  Enforce laws that exist here and at WTO.  Not being done because corporate America driving trade policy.  No push to buy local.  Will not buy Chinese toys for his kids.

Dodd (?): My toys are coming from Iowa.  My kids are eating Iowa food.

Obama: We're not using the power that we have.  US companies have moved to China and are shipping things back here to take advantage of low wages and weak environmental policy.  Not every single trade policy should be based on what's good for corporations.

Gravel: China has only increased military 10%.  Our rhetoric of "beggar thy neighbor" is shameful.  American companies also dump things abroad.

Question: If we do what you've said, will Americans pay more?

Kucinich: Buy American or bye-bye America.  (And guess friggin' what) I'm the only one up here who voted against China trade. 

Obama: China will modify their behavior if we stand up to them. 

Question: Chemicals in products cause cancer, birth defects, and we don't make manufacturers list ingredients.  What will you change?

Clinton: We don't do enough to prevent dangerous products, either imports or domestic.  We don't track exposures.  Need tougher standards across the boards.

Dodd: 80% of food is imported, very little labeling.

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