Hillary Clinton waves as she arrives at a campaign stop in Pittsburgh. Photo: AP
A day after losing Wisconsin, White House hopeful Hillary Clinton unleashed a blistering critique of China while campaigning in blue-collar Pennsylvania, warning Beijing must "toe the line" if she becomes president.
The eastern US state, where organised labour is an influential force, hosts its presidential primaries on April 26.
"China illegally dumps cheap products in our markets, steals our trade secrets, plays games with their currency, gives unfair advantages to state-owned-enterprises and discriminates against American companies," she said. "We will throw the book at China for their illegal actions."
Clinton's remarks, delivered to a state AFL-CIO union convention in Philadelphia, were among her most forceful campaign trail comments about Beijing.
"I've gone toe to toe with China's top leaders on some of the toughest issues we face, from cyber attacks to human rights to climate change to trade and more," she said.
"I know how they operate, and they know if I'm president, they're going to have to toe the line, because we're going to once and for all get fair treatment, or they're not going to get access to our markets."
At one point she referred to China as "the biggest abuser of global trade”.
She also criticised Sanders, insisting that "in a number of important areas, he doesn't have a plan at all."
Clinton leads Sanders by 52.7 percent to 35 percent in a RealClearPolitics poll average, although the latest poll, released by Quinnipiac University on Tuesday, puts Clinton just six points ahead.
http://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1253006-20160407.htm
