New York CNN —Republican presidential candidates Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis sparred on a wide range of economic issues during the CNN GOP presidential debate on Wednesday evening. But as ​​Haley and DeSantis duked it out to crown themselves the most fiscally prudent candidate, some clear economic themes began to emerge that will likely have a big influence on the upcoming Republican primaries and beyond: China, debt levels and the government’s role in business. ChinaBoth Haley and DeSantis sought to prove how tough they could be on China. But as my colleague Elisabeth Buchwald points out, the US and China are the first- and second-largest economies in the world. President Joe Biden has also made reducing economic dependence on China a platform in both his 2020 and 2024 campaigns.

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Persons: Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis sparred, Nancy Pelosi’s, ”, “, Ron, you’re, Haley, ​ Haley, DeSantis, Donald Trump, Elisabeth Buchwald, Joe Biden, DeSantis didn’t, Trump, wouldn’t, ” DeSantis, Gary Gensler, “ I’m, ” Sen, Sherrod Brown, Brown, Nick Smart, It’s Taylor, Taylor, Swift, Ramishah Maruf, “ Taylor Swift, Pollstar Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, Republican, CNN, Social Security, Walt Disney Company, FBI, SEC, Securities, Exchange, SEC’s, ”, Banking Committee, Spotify, AMC, Bloomberg Locations: New York, China, Iowa, Beijing, United States, South Carolina, Florida, DeSantis