CHINA US Focus - Perspectives shaping the world's most important bilateral relationship

As the US presidential election is now in full swing, China has become a punching bag for both candidates. President Barack Obama and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney are stepping up attacks on each other in their election campaigns, with China as a frequent topic.

Many have argued that the recent WTO case brought by the US against China over automobiles and auto-parts subsides was simply meant to pander to US voters in the key swing state of Ohio. While certainly a consideration, the WTO case hints at a more complex trade relationship that has seen both countries use the WTO as a responsible means of settling disputes.

Stephen Hess, the editor-in-chief of the 1976 Republican National Convention Platform, analyzes the party platforms of the 2012 election and discusses how they plan to address issues in the U.S.-China bilateral relationship.

The US presidential race is heating up, as candidates President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney hurtle towards their date with destiny on November 6, 2012. This election will decide many crucial issues in the United States regarding economic policy, the social safety net, even foreign policy.

As the national conventions loom ahead, Americans prepare to choose the next president on the basis of economic issues. But it is the return of the neoconservatives that will overshadow the discourse on foreign policy – and China.

Since the beginning of the formal Sino-US relationship, China has always followed the US presidential elections with a degree of trepidation and a clearly preferred candidate. In this election however, both candidates seem set to follow similar policies leaving China with little discernable difference between the two.