When the President stood up for American workers and enforced trade laws against China, Romney said those very laws were “bad for the nation and our workers.”  

ROMNEY CLAIMED HE WOULD APPLY TARIFFS IF CHINA DOESN’T PLAY BY THE RULES

Romney Said He Would Apply Tariffs On Chinese Goods If China Didn’t Play By The Rules. “Number three, where they have stolen intellectual property and hacked into computers and where there are artificial pricing is causing goods to have predatory levels of pricing, I would apply if necessary tariffs to make sure that they understand we are willing to play playing field.” [CNBC, 11/9/11]

BUT PREVIOUSLY ROMNEY CRITICIZED OBAMA FOR ENFORCING TRADE LAWS ON CHINESE TIRES

Romney: Obama’s Chinese Tire Tariffs Are “Bad For The Nation And Our Workers” And Called It “Protectionism.”  “President Obama’s action to defend American tire companies from foreign competition may make good politics by repaying unions for their support of his campaign, but it is decidedly bad for the nation and our workers. Protectionism stifles productivity.” [Romney, No Apology (Case for American Greatness), Page 119]

REALITY: PRESIDENT OBAMA IS IMPLEMENTING THE WTO SAFEGUARD PROVISION TO PROTECT AMERICAN PRODUCTS FROM UNFAIRLY PRICED IMPORTS
 
President Obama Imposed Stiff Imports On Chinese-Made Tires, For The First Time Imposing Safeguard Provisions To Protect A US Industry From Chinese Competition.   [MarketWatch, 9/11/09]
 
Inside U.S.-China Trade Said The Section 421 Safeguard Petition Would Provide “The First Major Test” Of Whether President Obama Would Fulfill His Pledge To Shift U.S. Trade Policy From Emphasis On Negotiations To A Focus On Enforcement. [Inside US-China Trade, 4/22/2009, via Nexis]
 
President Obama Signed A Determination To Apply An Increased Duty To All Imports Of Passenger Vehicle And Light Truck Tires From China. [Statement By The Press Secretary, 9/11/2009]
 
USW International President Leo Gerard Said, “Today, President Obama Made Clear That He Will Enforce America’s Trade Laws And Stand With American Workers.”  [USW International Press Release, 9/11/2009]
 
USW Praised The Success Of The Tariff On Boosting Domestic Tire Production.  [New York Times, 12/14/10]
 
The WTO Ruled China Had No Legal Right To Impose Export Restrictions On Nine Raw Materials Following A Compliant Filed By The U.S. And Other Countries. [WSJ, 2/18/2011]
 
Economist Simon Evenett Called The Ruling, “A Punch Against China’s Trade Policy.” [WSJ, 2/18/2011]
 
REALITY: PRESIDENT OBAMA IS PURSUING STRONG INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ENFORCEMENT
 
President Obama Said, “We’re Going To Aggressively Protect Our Intellectual Property…It Is Essential To Our Prosperity And Will Only Become More So In This Century.”  [Remarks by the President at the Export-Import Bank’s Annual Conference, 3/11/2010]
 
In A Joint Press Conference, President Obama Publically Pressed President Hu On The Need For Strengthened Enforcement Of Intellectual Property Rights And Market Access For American Good. [Transcript [01/19/11]
 
After Meeting With President Obama In January 2011, President Hu Of China Agreed To Strengthen China’s Efforts To Enforce Intellectual Property Rights. [Office Of The United States Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator, January 2011]
 
China Affirmed This Pledge At The May 2011 U.S.-China Strategic And Economic Dialogue. [The 2011 U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue U.S. Fact Sheet, 5/10/2011]
 
The Obama Administration Released The First Ever Joint Strategic Plan On Intellectual Property Enforcement, Covering 33 Action Items. [U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator Joint Strategic Plan, 2011]
 
President Obama Signed An Executive Order Establishing A Cabinet-Level Intellectual Property Advisory Committee. [U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator Joint Strategic Plan, 2011]
 
The Office Of The Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator Designated ICE’s First Intellectual Property Attaché In China, And The FBI Is Preparing To Send An Intellectual Property Dedicated Attaché To China This Year. [U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator Joint Strategic Plan, 2011]
 
REALITY: PRESSING CHINA REPEATEDLY ON CURRENCY POLICY AND GAINING A COMMITMENT FROM CHINA ON EXCHANGE RATE REFORM
 
January 2011: President Obama Pressed China On Its Intervention In Its Currency Markets.   [Joint Press Conference Transcript 01/19/11]
 
November 2010: President Obama Criticized China’s Currency Policy At The G-20 Summit.  [New York Times 11/12/10]

September 2010: President Obama Focused On Encouraging China to Revalue its Currency. [New York Times 09/23/10]
 
April 2010: President Obama Pressed China to Revalue Its Currency. [Reuters 04/13/2010]
 
Since Last June, The Renmibi Has Appreciated Against The Dollar By More Than 5 Percent, And At An Annual Rate Of Roughly Ten Percent When China’s Higher Inflation Rate Is Taken Into Account. [The 2011 U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue U.S. Fact , 5/10/2011]
 
The New York Times Said That President Obama “Repeatedly” Made The Point That The United States Would No Longer Tolerate Deliberate Currency Manipulation During Talks With China’s Prime Minister. [NYT, 9/30/2010, via Nexis]
 
President Obama Said, “The Reason I’m Pushing China About Their Currency Is Because Their Currency Is Undervalued.” [NYT, 9/30/2010, via Nexis]
 
January 2011: Secretary Geithner Said “The Relative Competitiveness Of American Companies, American Products...Is Moving In Our Favor, Because The Chinese Are Allowing Their Currency To Now Strengthen. [Press Briefing By Secretary Geither, 1/14/2011]
 
The New York Times Reported That In April 2011, The Chinese Currency “Hit A Milestone” By Rising To The Strongest Level Since 2005. [NYT, 4/29/2011]
 
China’s Leaders Increasingly Acknowledge The Importance Of Currency Appreciation. [The 2011 U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue U.S. Fact , 5/10/2011]
 
China Has Recently Begun To Take Steps To Make The Renminbi An Internationally Traded Currency. [The 2011 U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue U.S. Fact , 5/10/2011]
 
REALITY: EXPORTS TO CHINA ARE INCREASING FASTER THAN TO THE REST OF THE WORLD AND SUPPORTING JOBS ACROSS THE US
 
Last Year, U.S. Exports Grew 50 Percent Faster To China Than The Rest Of The World, Reaching More Than $110 Billion And Supporting Hundreds Of Thousands Of Jobs Across The U.S. [The 2011 U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue U.S. Fact Sheet, 5/10/2011]
 
China Agreed To Approve Airline Contracts For 200 Orders, The Final Step In A $19 Billion Package Of Aircraft That Helps Support More Than 100,000 American Jobs. [Fact Sheet On US-China Relations, 1/19/2011]