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Giannoulias campaigns against China's trade practices

Alexi Giannoulias talks to workers at the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades hall in Collinsville, Illinois, Monday.
(KWMU photo)
Alexi Giannoulias talks to workers at the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades hall in Collinsville, Illinois, Monday.

By Bill Raack, St. Louis Public Radio

Collinsville, IL – Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Alexi Giannoulias is taking on what he calls China's anti-competitive and unfair trade practices.

The current Illinois state treasurer stopped in Collinsville Monday to talk to union workers about his plan to curb the outsourcing of jobs to China and other countries.

Giannoulias says trade agreements with China have had a direct impact on the ability of U.S. businesses to attract and retain jobs.

"I don't want to start a trade war but at the end of the day when we are shipping millions of jobs over to China, a country that is artificially devaluing their currency and doing great harm to the American economy and ultimately to their own economy, we need to make sure we have legislators in Washington, D.C., who understand that and are going to do everything they can to level the playing field," Giannoulias said.

Giannoulias says he would address China's manipulation of its currency, he supports efforts to eliminate China's subsidization of weak domestic industries to keep them competitive with American businesses, and he thinks the U.S. should step up efforts to protect intellectual property rights.

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