China not a partner with U.S., but an enemy

Jack Welch, the man who turned General Electric around, has a piece of advice that rings especially true these days: “Face reality for what it is, not for what we would like it to be.” This common-sense concept should (but apparently doesn't) inform our thinking about today's China.

We should regard China as an enemy, not a friend. We carry a multibillion trade deficit with China. The primary reason for this situation is simple: China cheats. They manipulate their currency to create artificial advantage for themselves, which seriously distorts the market. China's version of “free and fair trade” is a bad joke. China, left alone, will do whatever it wants to whenever it wants to. Remember, China is a military dictatorship.

China has been busy expanding and modernizing its military. The goal is to exert economic/military hegemony over one-fourth of the world.

Confront reality as it is. China is a military dictatorship; there is no way to sugarcoat this fact. Please, Mr. Obama and company, take off the rose-colored glasses. Wearing them any longer is an invitation to economic disaster and a direct threat to national security. Leadership should not be based on domestic political concerns; the stakes are far too high.

Gary Sargent

Cedar Rapids