The business environment for foreign companies in China can be summed up in one word,

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From the opinion pages of the Wall Street Journal, this is Potomac Watch.

The Republican presidential candidates held their first debate Wednesday night in L.W.A.

with eight candidates on stage, but one big absence Donald Trump.

Former president, choosing to do an interview with Tucker Carlson instead on Twitter.

But the eight candidates will be our focus today as they held the spirited back and forth,

and we'll talk about what we heard and what it means for the race for the White House

going forward.

Welcome on, Paul Gigo, editorial page editor of the Wall Street Journal, and I'm here

with two of my political gurus, Kyle Peterson, and Kim Strassel, welcome.

First of all, my own view, overall view, was a good debate.

I think they benefited from the fact that Donald Trump wasn't there, and that if you had

been there, you would have dominated the debate, and the discussion would have been all

about him.

There was some discussion about Trump, but there was more on the issues, and I've heard

give a chance for the other candidates to showcase who they are, some of their biography,

and also what they want to stress as campaign themes.

Kim, what's your first impression, who did well, who helped himself, or herself the

most?

...