[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 105 (Wednesday, August 3, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 3, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
              MOST-FAVORED-NATION TRADING STATUS FOR CHINA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Becerra). Under the Speaker's announced 
policy of February 11 and June 10, 1994, the gentleman from California 
[Mr. Dreier] is recognized for 5 minutes as the designee of the 
minority leader.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, let me first extend my appreciation to my 
good friend, the gentlewoman from Connecticut [Ms. DeLauro], and my 
colleagues who are waiting to take their hour special order. I want to 
take just a very brief unit of time to respond to a number of 
statements that have been made here on the floor over the past few 
days, and frankly, the debate is going to intensify as we begin to 
address, finally, the issue of most-favored-nation trading status for 
the People's Republic of China.
  Many people have very accurately pointed to the fact that we have 
seen reprehensible human rights violations, and pictures have been 
shown and examples have been given of regular abuse of human rights. 
I'm not here as an apologist at all. In fact, I am here to join in 
demonstrating my outrage over the human rights violations that have 
taken place in China.
  I am here to say that while there is a great deal of partisanship 
going on in the Congress today, and saying that Republicans may be 
responsible for trying to block the crime bill, or the health care 
bill, there are very important areas of bipartisanship, and we 
Republicans are providing support to this President when he is right.
  He was right when he made the decision that we should renew most-
favored-nation trading status for the People's Republic of China. Why? 
Because it clearly is, and has proven to be, the most effective tool 
for us to deal with human rights abuses that exist in the People's 
Republic of China.
  The examples which have been shown are horrible, but we have to look 
at recent history, and we have to juxtapose the situation today to the 
way it was 25 to 30 years ago.
  Not long ago the Washington Post did a series in which it came out 
that 80 million people were killed 30 years ago during the period of 
time of the Mao era. It seems to me that we have just now come to the 
realization that 80 million people have been killed.
  Quite frankly, the transition that has occurred over the past several 
years, as we have opened up China, the largest country in the world, 
with 1.2 billion people, that kind of reprehensible action could not 
take place today without the rest of the world knowing it. The fact of 
the matter is we have seen tremendous improvements in human rights 
within the past several years.
  This summer we marked the fifth anniversary of the Tiananmen Square 
massacre, and the world was outraged as we saw the tragic developments 
that took place on June 4, 1989. However, if we take the past 15 years 
and look at how exposure to Western values and U.S. business investment 
has improved the plight of the people of China, it is very, very great, 
and an amazing testimonial to what can be done if we do not close the 
door, but in fact open the door and open it wider.
  In fact, I believe that the most responsible way for us to deal with 
the human rights situation in the People's Republic of China is for us 
to do everything that we can to encourage more United States business 
and Western investment in China.

                              {time}  1720

  That is the way in which we can further develop an improvement in the 
human rights situation.
  Every shred of evidence that we have seen has shown that while the 
situation is not good and in fact we need desperately to improve it, it 
has improved over the past several years.
  So I simply want, Mr. Speaker, the record to show that the President 
is right in calling for renewal of most-favored-nation trading status 
because it is the single most responsible way for us to improve the 
plight of the people of China who have been victims of human rights 
violations. I hope very much that this House will see fit to give 
President Clinton the support that he seeks in renewing MFN.

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