From a Mitt Romney op-ed in USA Today:
Where President Obama left America's trade interests untended, I recognize the job-creating potential of international commerce. I will create the "Reagan Economic Zone," a partnership among countries committed to free enterprise and free trade. It will serve as a powerful engine for opening markets to our goods and services, ...
So that's all very clear: He's a strong free trader, trade agreements are good, etc.
But wait, there's also this:
It will serve as a powerful engine for opening markets to our goods and services, and also a mechanism for confronting nations like China that violate trade rules while free-riding on the international system. I will not stand by while China pursues an economic development policy that relies on the unfair treatment of U.S. companies and the theft of their intellectual property. I have no interest in starting a trade war with China, but I cannot accept our current trade surrender.
So he doesn't want a "trade war," but he also doesn't like our current "trade surrender." I'm not sure exactly how to characterize it, but it does seem as if he wants a trade fight of some sort.
UPDATE:
More from a Reuters reporter's tweet:
Romney goes hard after China - "I will label China as what it is, a currency manipulator, and I will go after them."
On his web site, Romney lists a few Executive Orders for Day One, including:
An Order to Sanction China for Unfair Trade Practices
• Directs the Department of the Treasury to list China as a currency manipulator in its biannual report and directs the Department of Commerce to assess countervailing duties on Chinese imports if China does not quickly move to float its currency.
