According to the SCMP, the three protectionist American senators visiting China have undergone a miraculous conversion and now see the light:

The two US senators behind proposed legislation to impose punitive tariffs on Chinese products have shifted from seeing "China as a threat" to a potential "close ally" after meeting top mainland leaders yesterday.
New York Democrat Charles Schumer and South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham said they had achieved significant understanding through their "amazing three days" in Beijing.

"It's been an eye-opener in many ways. And it's an amazing country with a depth of history that is just profound with an amazing present and vast potential for the future," Senator Schumer said.

"The vice-premier was a lot of fun. She's really direct. She would do well in an American forum. I like her a lot," Senator Graham said..."Is China a threat? [It] could be. Is China a friend? Yes. Is China a close ally? [It] could be. That's what's changed for me about this trip," he said.

When asked about the bill they have proposed that would impose a 27.5 per cent tariff on US imports of Chinese products, the senators said the jury was still out.

...in strikingly moral tones, they [the senators] pledged Washington's resolve to pressure China to liberalize not only its yuan regime but also its political culture, using trade as a wedge for an almost evangelical campaign for US values...

"In my country, we're very arrogant, and I admit to it," he [Sen. Lindsey Graham] said. "You have to understand that Americans have for 200 years fought and died not just for our freedom, but for other people's freedoms."...But when the time came for questions, the reaction from students and faculty revealed how the American campaign for a free-floating yuan has backfired in some quarters. Many in China resent the specter of the world's lone superpower seemingly attempting to dictate how Beijing manages its economy and the values that should govern Chinese society.

The bill has gained momentum as China's trade surplus with the United States has grown, swelling to US$200 billion (HK$1.56 trillion) last year. But many economists assert that even a significant revaluation would do little to alter the trade balance, noting that many of the goods China exports, such as clothing and furniture, have not been made in large quantities in the United States for years.

"This is just complete posturing," said Pietra Rivoli, a trade expert at Georgetown University. "This is the classic thing with trade: you make outlandish demands that are impossible for either side to satisfy, and then you get points for standing up."

But the reception the senators are receiving attests to the gravity of the issue for China's leaders, who are cognizant of the angry mood in Washington. The senators dined Wednesday with People's Bank of China governor Zhou Xiaochuan. They met Thursday with Vice Premier Wu Yi...

"I've learned that you've got 700 million people who need employment, that the interior of your country is not developed," Graham told the students. "I've learned in coming here that for you to change your system very quickly would be very hard for your country. I understand that better now."