This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Former Gov. Mitt Romney recently said that, on his "first day" in the White House, he would unilaterally declare China a currency manipulator and aggressively confront the country. With Chinese retaliation, that could escalate to a trade war.
Instead of working to make China a partner and friend, Romney would immediately make it an entrenched adversary.
That go-it-alone belligerence, independent of international organizations such as the World Trade Organization, may play well to Romney's Republican base, but it's no way to conduct diplomacy or international trade. Even the U.S. Chamber of Commerce opposes Romney's approach.
The world needs open and honest cooperation, not another cold war.
Matthew Gunther
Salt Lake City