US trade official takes aim at Beijing, faults Washington on industry

A top US trade official took a veiled swipe at China on Thursday for a range of unfair trade practices, but also criticised the United States for being asleep at the wheel for far too long.“They subsidised, they dumped, they erected regulatory barriers, they supported state-owned enterprises, they used every tool available to build their industries and capture a greater share of the American market,” said William Kimmitt, the US under secretary of commerce for international trade, without mentioning China by name.But he added: “Our government too often stood by and watched as American factories closed, American production moved overseas, and American workers were overlooked and forgotten. Our leaders, too often, refused to recognise that reality, or worse, simply allowed it to happen.”