China paper castigates "irresponsible" U.S. debt crisis

The mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party has castigated the United States' handling of its debt crisis as "irresponsible" and "immoral," saying in a Saturday editorial that the U.S. democratic system was to blame for the "farce."

The official People's Daily newspaper accused U.S. politicians of "sacrificing other people's interests in exchange for a few votes," adding that "not a single representative has considered the world, and even U.S. national interests are being banished from the mind."

It said elections next year meant that each representative was unwilling to risk being tarnished with "the crime of giving way."

"The voting system has restricted the White House's power to act," it said. "The farce taking place on the U.S. political stage has let the whole world know where the United States' political problems are."

U.S. lawmakers have just four days to reach a compromise to avert a national debt default, but a Republican deficit-cutting plan was rejected by the Democratic-controlled Senate on Friday.

The People's Daily commentary appeared under the byline Zhong Sheng, a pseudonym that sounds like "Voice of China" or "Voice of the Center."

While the newspaper does not represent the official position of the Chinese Communist Party, it often reflects some of the debates going on in senior government circles.

Its commentary follows similar criticism of U.S. politicians over the debt crisis by the state-run Xinhua news agency on Thursday.