Hillary Clinton's strong accusation against the Chinese leader Xi Jinping via Twitter at this critical moment is more than reminiscent of the demagogue Donald Trump.

Few people would have believed Trump could be a serious player in the presidential election until recently. His initial popularity was based on his big mouth. However, he has managed to top almost all the polls for much longer than expected, and shocked the entire US political arena.

It seems that Hillary, eager to keep a competitive edge in the game, has also resorted to these ignominious shenanigans. Despite her political acumen as former secretary of state and senator, she is using the language of Trump to cast herself in the role of a rabble-rouser.

The Internet should partly be blamed where cyber rhetoric is notoriously blunt. In China, netizens are often proud to talk dirty, and the US has the same tendency. This way of speaking has spread to the real world, forcing many people to abandon the bottom line.

The US presidential election has resulted in an increasing number of ill consequences when democracy spins out of control. Policies, guidelines and public interests will have to make room for political chicanery that can incite the voters, by whose support the candidates can succeed to the throne. China bashing has become an effective way for them to win more votes.

Hillary was a lawyer, the former hostess of the White House, and also a senior leader in the government. It is a pity that even the former first lady has also thrown away her decency and reputation only to gain a leg up in the election.

Perhaps, Hillary's e-mail scandal has dealt a heavy blow to her, and she is trying to get back in the game by directing people's attention to China.

Nonetheless, Hillary is still a major frontrunner to be the next US president. However, her recent actions are worrying: If she can return to the White House as the first female president in US history, see how hard she would try to rectify her China-bashing words and activities. Her husband Bill Clinton did it more than 20 years ago, when China was not in the spotlight of global attention, and few people would remember how he criticized China. However, 20 years have passed, and China has become a universal topic. Any aggressive remarks against China will likely draw long-term attention from the public.

If Hillary is doing what Trump does, she is degrading herself. The Chinese will probably not be vexed by her angry words, but considering her status as the most likely hopeful among all the candidates, what she said is frustrating.