Romney latest to lob China criticism
Updated 9:50 a.m. ET
(CBS News) The battle over conceding jobs to China has reemerged again with the latest salvo coming in the form a new TV ad from Mitt Romney criticizing President Obama's China-related policy and its effect on U.S. workers.
"Fewer Americans are working today than when President Obama took office," the narrator says in the ad titled "Stand Up to China." "It doesn't have to be this way if Obama would stand up to China."
"China is stealing American ideas and technology. His policies cost us two million jobs," the narrator continues.
The Romney campaign highlights articles that report the Obama administration has yet to label China as a currency manipulator for undervaluing its yuan currency, which gives China manufacturers a cost advantage in the worldwide market. It's an action that Romney has vowed to do should he win election.
Romney plans to take this message to the campaign trail, specifically when he and his running mate Paul Ryan begin a bus tour in Ohio Tuesday where they are expected to talk about preventing the Chinese from stealing intellectual property.
President Obama renewed his attacks against Romney over China with his own television ad last week that charged Romney with outsourcing jobs there during his tenure at Bain Capital. In addition, the president talked tough against China in Ohio last week when he announced a new trade complaint against China over auto manufacturing parts.
The Obama campaign fired back against Romney's latest ad, pointing to articles that say Romney has maintained investments in companies until last year in Chinese companies, including the Chinese version of You Tube which viewers can find illegal American-made content.
Republican political strategist Trey Hardin said that the campaigns bring up China because it brings up "the most influential" emotion motivating voters: fear.
"It is not clear that most voters truly understand the economic significance of China but playing the fear card doesn't necessarily require that tutorial by either campaign," Hardin told CBSNews.com.