China-Bashing in the Campaign Could Backfire

The Chinese Communist Party will its 18th congress on Oct. 10. Or not. It will reduce the number of members on its powerful Politburo Standing Committee from nine to seven. Or not. A back injury forced Vice President Xi Jinping, who is to succeed President Hu Jintao as the head of the party at the congress, to drop for almost two weeks. Or not.

The murkiness of leadership politics in the world’s most populous nation and its second biggest economy and military spender should give any observer pause. Together with the violent demonstrations, tit-for-tat diplomatic protests, and standoffs at sea that have marked the country’s dispute with Japan over some rocky isles in the East China Sea, it highlights the challenges of dealing with a rising and sometimes volatile China. It also should send a note of caution to those who would descend into China-bashing on the U.S. campaign trail.