During an interview with the Wall Street Journal, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Saturday that some newly elected members of Congress “can’t read” and don’t know what or where China is.

“If you look at the U.S., you look at who we’re electing to Congress, to the Senate–they can’t read,” he said. “I’ll bet you a bunch of these people don’t have passports.” Read more after the jump…

The mayor argued that city authorities are often better placed than national governments to combat climate change and vowed to promote the use of electric taxis.

The three-term mayor warned against a trade war with China which turned out to be something both major parties found politically helpful in last Tuesday’s election and suggested that America assess its policies for answers: “I think in America, we’ve got to stop blaming the Chinese and blaming everybody else and take a look at ourselves,” he said.

Last month, The New York Times reported that at least 29 candidates on both sides of the aisle ran ads critical of China and opponents who would support policies that help foreign workers, not Americans.
In one of its last acts before the midterm elections, Congress passed legislation retaliating against China, contending that the nation is undervaluing its currency.

However, Bloomberg believes it’s our fault, not theirs:
“When did we collectively go through the looking glass and end up in this distorted economic universe? The idea that the U.S. is not responsible for its own economic stagnation, housing bubble and unemployment is a black-is-white, up-is-down view that only insecurity can breed. It’s not us; it’s them and their cheap goods.”

Bloomberg travelled to Hong Kong as the new leader of the C40, a coalition of 40 cities, and was there to attend the organization’s conference. According to the group, 1 in 12 people worldwide live in one of its 40 cities.