Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan said China was treating President Barack Obama "like a doormat" because he's not going after them for unfair trade policies.

"They steal our intellectual property right. They block access to their markets. They manipulate their currency," Ryan said Thursday. "President Obama promised he would stop these promises. He said he'd go to the mat with China. Instead they're treating him like a doormat."

During a rally in Ohio, Ryan said when it comes to trade, unlike the Obama administration, he and Mitt Romney would "crackdown on China cheating."

"The more goods we manufacture the more food we grow and sell them overseas, the more good jobs we have here at home. Free trade is a powerful tool for peace and prosperity but our trading partners need to play by the rules," he said.

The House Budget Committee chairman, in his new role as running mate, has spent the last five days traveling to battleground states and pushing Romney's message of reviving the economy and bringing back jobs.

The Republican team has been touting their economic plan would create 12 million jobs in the next four years. Ryan broke down that number for Ohioans.

"It¹s a plan to create 12 million jobs in the next four years. That in Ohio means 452,000 jobs if we get this economy growing like it should, and we can get this economy growing like it should at four percent," Ryan said.

Obama's re-election team accused Ryan of engaging in "over-the-top" rhetoric. In a statement, Obama spokesperson Danny Kanner defended their candidate's record on China, pointing out the president has filed seven trade complaints against China, more than the Bush Administration.

Kanner also pointed to House Republicans' refusal to pass a bill that would penalize countries -- including China -- whose currency is now undervalued. The Democrat-controlled Senate passed the measure last year, but House Republicans were split on supporting the legislation. Most business groups oppose Congressional action, and top GOP leaders indicated they opposed moving any bill.

'[Romney's] running mate is following suit with over-the-top rhetoric after he voted to repeal help for American workers hurt by unfair trade practices and declined to take measures to crack down on China's currency practices," Kanner wrote.

He continued: "Today, Paul Ryan once again demonstrated that he's been co-opted by Mitt Romney after flip-flopping on his own record. A few years ago, Mitt Romney criticized President Obama for standing up to China to protect American tire workers, calling his actions 'decidedly bad for the nation and our workers.'"