Trump-style bashing of foreigners offers no solutions

MUCH has been written recently about real estate mogul Donald Trump and his bid for the Republican presidential nomination, and in particular, about what some regard as his nativist immigration agenda.

Republican voters will have to select their presidential nominee next year, and in November 2016, American voters will elect the person who will occupy the White House in the following four years. Foreigners will not have a say in making those decisions. But when Mr Trump or the other presidential candidates propose policies that would have a direct impact on the economic interests of other countries, foreigners affected by these policies have the obligation to respond. Hence it is not surprising that Mexicans have voiced concerns about Mr Trump's plan to stem the illegal immigration from that country, especially his proposal that the Mexicans pay for the costs of building a wall across their border with the US. And it seems that he is also trying to embrace China bashing as one of the central themes of his presidential campaign, hoping that turning China into the bogeyman of the election season will help him win votes.

But Mr Trump is taking economic nationalism and China bashing to new heights. In announcing his presidential bid in June, he pledged that he would "bring back our jobs from China, from Mexico, from Japan, from so many places", asserting, "I'll bring back our money". More recently, responding to China's decision to devalue its currency, he stated that that the move would be "devastating" for the United States. "They're just destroying us," he said during a campaign stop.