LOS ANGELES — There's something of an international food fight — and more — occurring over China right now. The alarming issue concerns the quality control — or lack thereof — of the many products the mainland exports to the world.
"China Inc." (let us hypothetically characterize the country as if one big export company) ships us everything from catfish to toys to pet food, and has a staggering trading surplus with the United States to show for its efforts (though negligible or even negative trade balances with many other countries). That stark imbalance has become an inflammatory issue in Washington, where political sharks like New York Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer sense blood in the waters of a rising tide of anti-Chinese sentiment — not to mention votes for the Democratic ticket in 2008.
The anti-China lobby in the U.S. Congress proposes to erect trade barriers or trade penalties to reduce the deficit, and an increasingly weak Bush administration might not have the strength to veto such legislation were it to pass. But it would take time for such a bill to have an impact even if it is not vetoed.