Dear President Obama/ Governor Romney,
I am a Ph.D. student at Columbia University in New York and I am from China. I am also a blogger and write political reviews there. I wrote a review of your first debate, translated your second debate into Chinese, and posted them on my blog at a popular political forum http://club.kdnet.net in China. Thousands of people have read my blog and my posts. Heated discussions have been stirred along with other blogger’s posts.
Your debates have inspired our people and helped us understand how democracy works. Most people on the forum are intelligent and long for democracy. Although we are not US citizens, we admire the United States and its people very much.
We noticed that China have been mentioned about 20 times in your last debate. We have seen that trade with China has become a very important issue for the American economy. People from our forum have discussed this topic a lot too. We will welcome it if you would mention that trade issues with China are not just purely economic but also involve human rights issues, because so many Chinese workers are being paid so low and have to work under harsh conditions to make very cheap products. These cheap goods are hurting not just American workers but Chinese workers as well.
Although we cannot vote for you, we heartily feel that if you mention this issue in your third debate you will win the hearts and minds of many American voters. We believe that increasing the Chinese currency value is important, but Americans should also urge the Chinese government to increase Chinese workers’ wages and protect their working conditions and social welfare. We believe that you will gain both moral and economic standing from adopting this position.
Morally, Americans care about human rights all over the world. American pressure has been effective to improve human rights in China. Chinese workers who labor under inhuman working conditions need this attention from you. People all over the world will be proud of you if you mention this issue in the debate.
In terms of the economic issues, urging that Chinese workers be paid higher wages and get better working conditions will allow for fairer trade of Chinese products with those made in America. Also, once Chinese workers’ wages increase, these workers, mostly young people, will consume more, especially American products, such as the I-phone, I-pad, I-pod or American clothes, bags, perfume, etc., because young people love them. They will send money back home to their villages and their family’s income level will increase, allowing them also to raise consumption. Many villages will become cities and China will need more urban engineers, new materials, and energy efficient technology from outside. The end result will be a boom in U.S. Job creation and exports to China. American businesses will profit from the new opportunities.
We do not think that the Chinese government should oppose improved working conditions for their workers. In the debate you can tell both American voters and the Chinese government that everyone gains from such a policy. Increased domestic consumption is sorely needed at this time for the Chinese economy to keep growing. China cannot base its future economy on cheap labor, it needs to promote innovation and develop high-technology industries. The Chinese government realizes this and should support improving working conditions for its workers. We believe this is the only way for a rising China to find its place in tomorrow’s world.
Eliminating sweatshops, raising wages and improving working conditions in China will benefit both China and America. If you mention it in your debate, we believe you will gain a lot of good will among voters.We care about China and we admire America. We believe a democratic China will be the best friend to America.
We are eagerly anticipating your third debate. We wish you good luck.
维护中国工人权益将惠及中美两国经济 ——三辩前写给美国总统候选人的一封信
尊敬的奥巴马总统/罗姆尼州长:
我是纽约哥伦比亚大学的博士生，来自中国。我也是一个博客作者，常在我的新浪博客和中国著名的猫眼论坛发表政论时评。最近我和其他网友关于您两位辩论的文章在论坛里引起热烈的讨论。大家尝试从你们的辩论中去了解民主制度的运作、美国政治体系，及其与中国制度的比较。论坛里大部分都是中国最聪明的人，向往民主自由体制，对美国政治体制比较推崇。
大家注意到上次辩论中你们两人大约有20次谈到了与中国的贸易摩擦，可见该问题对美国经济有重要的影响。在此，我们特别希望两位能在下次辩论中这样指出：与中国的贸易问题不仅是经济问题，而且也是人权问题，因为正是那么多拿低廉工资、在极其恶劣条件下工作的中国工人，制造着世界上最廉价的产品。可这些廉价的中国制造品，却同时伤害着中美两国工人的利益。
尽管我们不是美国公民，无法投票给两位，但是我们觉得如果两位能够在辩论中提及此问题，一定会赢得美国选民的心。我们知道，迫使人民币升值是重要的，威胁提高进口关税也罢，但是您更应督促中国政府大力提高自己工人的工资待遇，维护工人良好的工作环境，保障工人的各项社会福利和权益。我们相信您若采取这样的立场，不但站到了道义的制高点，还能获得经济上的利益。
道义上，美国关心世界各地的人权问题。中国工人不甚人道的工作状况需要被关注。如您提出这个问题，全世界人民都会为以您为傲。
经济上，1、如果中国工人工资提高，工作环境改善，美国制造和中国制造就能够得到更公平的贸易机会。2、中国工人收入提高，能使这些年轻工人，提高和扩大生活消费，包括对美国产品的消费，苹果以及其它美国时尚产品都是年轻人特别喜欢的。3、工人们大都来自农村，他们会把一部分工资寄回老家，这样中国农村的消费水平就会提高。4、当越来越多的农村变成城市，农民变成城市人口，中国对城市设计师、建筑师和工程师等高级专业人才、新型建材和高效利用新能源的先进技术的需求量就会急剧增加。如此一来，拥有先进人才和技术的美国，对中国的出口将会巨增。巨大的中国消费市场会让美国的企业家获利丰厚。
如果您担心中国政府会因为您提出要改善中国工人的状况而不高兴。我们觉得中国政府怎么会反对提高自己工人的工资待遇以及改善工人工作环境呢？辩论中您可以这样对美国选民，同时，也对中国政府说：
中国工人待遇的提高将会使我们两国都受益。中国国内消费市场的扩大其实，是目前中国经济持续增长的唯一手段。中国再不能将未来的经济发展架构在廉价劳动力的基础上了，中国到了需要促进技术创新和大力发展高科技产业的时候了。中国政府似乎已意识到了这一点，所以中国政府就应该支持提高工人工资待遇、保护工人各种权益。我们相信这是一个正在崛起的中国，在未来世界，找到自己位置的唯一途径。
综上所述，减少中国的血汗工厂，提高中国工人的待遇，改善工人的工作环境，这些主张将会惠及中国和美国。如果你们在辩论中这样为中国工人说话，你们将会赢得美国人民的支持。我们热爱中国也倾慕美国。我们相信一个民主化的中国将是美国最好的朋友。
期待你们的第三场辩论，祝你们好运。
不要笑话我疯狂，我的确是真心实意地写了这么一封信，在两位总统候选人第三次辩论前发给了他们各自的竞选办公室。在这样紧迫的时间下，我不知道他们能否看到。但愿他们能够看到。感谢在短暂的两天时间中给我支持、鼓励和建议的各位朋友，他们来自世界各地。
我发出的是英文信，特意从英文译回中文拿来给大家观赏。
