Chinese state media have accused US President Barack Obama of "scapegoating" Beijing for his country’s economic woes.
Obama on Sunday betrayed increasing frustration over Beijing’s control of the yuan, saying it has not done enough to allow the unit to reach a fair market level and calling on a now "grown up" China to act more responsibly.
The official Xinhua news agency accused Obama of using the issue to attract votes, and said forcing the yuan to appreciate more quickly would bankrupt Chinese companies without resolving the US trade deficit with China.
"Squeezing China, especially on the yuan, is an old trick in the run-up to (the) US presidential election," it said in a commentary late Monday.
"Such a tactic of scapegoating others may attract some voters’ attention, but is definitely no answer to America’s real problems."
The state-run Global Times, a daily known for its nationalistic stance, said the United States felt "insecure" in the face of a rising China and Washington would have to accept that its economy was in decline.
"The US intends to solve economic problems by exerting political pressure on China. Such a mission is hollow and ultimately doomed to failure," it said in an editorial Tuesday, accusing the US of "over-confidence".
"Maybe the US should learn to accept the reality of a multi-polar world and change its mentality."
China’s foreign ministry refused to be drawn on Obama’s comments at a press briefing Tuesday in Beijing, advising journalists to "ask the spokesperson of the White House what is the meaning of the comment made by Obama."