Last night's final presidential debate focused on manufacturing.  Thankfully, both President Obama and Governor Romney spent a significant amount of time on the "China issue."

In today's press coverage, it was clear that the sparring on how to handle Beijing had proven noteworthy.

• Reuters' correspondent Paul Eckert reported that both candidates "vowed on Monday to get tough on China's trade policies."  Eckert quoted Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) Executive Director Scott Paul as saying that Monday's debate "didn't really break new ground on China."  But Paul observed that the focus on the trade deficit with China and its impact on manufacturing was long overdue, and the "real winner was American manufacturing."

• Marketwatch reporter Robert Schroeder quoted Paul on why U.S. manufacturing proved to be the winner on Monday night: "It’s clear that both candidates believe it is critically important that China play by the rules."

• AFP also quoted Paul, and repeated his analysis that Governor Romney was "absolutely right on who has leverage in the US-China relationship."  Paul explained: "About one-third of Chinese exports end up in the US. Our consumer market is the best leverage we have. The idea of a trade war is nonsense."

Read more analysis on the China portion of last night's debate.