Comments on the first US presidential debate abound. Many focused on what people heard or how they interpreted what they heard. What was conspicuously absent in the debate was the two candidates' readiness, or at least courage, to redefine the United States' role in free trade and globalization.

The performances of the candidates should not be seen as a matter of course, a deliberate performance of technical ambiguity in the face of popular politics.

By the way, the attempt at the debate to make China a scapegoat for the alleged evils of free trade and loss of jobs in the US was ill advised, especially because less than a month ago, at the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, some foreign business leaders said it is China that is championing free trade and globalization now.