Obama raps China on trade, says in 145;two minds146; over Olympics

8220;I think that we have not been very savvy negotiators when it comes to China. I think they8217;ve played us,8221; Obama told CBS News, three weeks before the next Democratic nominating contest, the Pennsylvania primary.

8220;They definitely are stealing our intellectual property and that has direct consequences in terms of the bottom lines for businesses here in the United States.8221; Trade has been a key issue in the Democratic White House race, especially in relation to the flight of blue collar manufacturing jobs to China and other Asian markets with low labor costs.

Obama was also asked whether the United States should be a full participant in this year8217;s Beijing Olympics, as global concern mounts about the communist giant8217;s human rights record and crackdown in Tibet.

8220;I8217;m of two minds about this. On the one hand, I think that what8217;s happened in Tibet, China8217;s support of the Sudanese government in Darfur, is a real problem,8221; Obama said.

8220;I8217;m hesitant to make the Olympics a site of political protest because I think it8217;s partly about bringing the world together.8221; Obama spoke a day after some US lawmakers introduced a bill designed to President George W Bush to skip the Olympics opening ceremony.