[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 109 (Tuesday, August 9, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 9, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
  MEMBERS SHOULD CONSIDER BOEING'S OPERATIONS IN CHINA BEFORE VOTE ON 
                   MOST-FAVORED-NATION TRADING STATUS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Barlow). Under the Speaker's announced 
policy of February 11, 1994, and June 10, 1994, the gentlewoman from 
California [Ms. Pelosi] is recognized during morning business for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I rise to call to the attention of our 
colleagues this article that appeared in today's Washington Post. It 
says ``Boeing To Send Work on Jet Parts To China.''
  It was just a little more than 2 short months ago that Boeing was in 
the forefront in urging President Clinton to renew most-favored-nation 
status to China unconditionally. They, among other members of the 
business community, are also those who oppose our very focused 
compromise legislation today to lift MFN on products made by the 
Chinese military and the People's Liberation Army.
  However, here today, this morning, I want to call my colleagues' 
attention to this article, because in it, it says that Boeing will 
invest $600 million in a plant in China to build tail sections for its 
737 jetliners, and a $100 million spare parts center and training 
program.
  The spokesperson for Boeing said that China was a possible production 
site for the 100-seat passenger planes Boeing hopes to manufacture for 
Asian markets. This is quite a different story than the protecting of 
jobs in America that Boeing was talking about at the time it weighed in 
so heavily with the executive branch and with Members of this body 
voting on legislation today.
  Mr. Speaker, what is really important about this is that the 
spokesperson for Boeing also said ``Our thinking is that once that is 
built, the Xian and Chinese industry will be able to build anything to 
world standards,'' anything. This means entire airplanes. This is not 
new. This is a course that the aerospace industry has been on.
  What is alarming about it, Mr. Speaker, and what should be of concern 
to this body is that in this debate on trade, and I may add, I consider 
myself an advocate for trade, I have supported the President on NAFTA, 
I voted with President Bush on trade bills. I represent a district that 
is built on trade, and we have almost every business in our district 
that does business with China, ranging from major 
construction companies which build projects there to the clothing 
industry, which has products made in China for export to the United 
States, to mom and pop import-export businesses in Chinatown, so I 
understand when business weighs in with our colleagues, that sometimes 
it can be a difficult decision.

  However, Mr. Speaker, that is their business, to support their 
interests. What is our business and our interest in this body is to be 
relentless in our pursuit for American jobs, certainly in an atmosphere 
of the freest possible trade, but that trade must be fair.
  Why this particular article about Boeing to send work on jet parts to 
China should be of concern to each one of us is that in the past, most 
of the jobs that were exported abroad were described as labor-
intensive, low-skilled jobs.
  Now we see this year, in China's trade deficit, as was reported by 
the CIA about 2 weeks ago in an unclassified report to Congress, that 
while China's toys and clothing, manufactured goods, were holding their 
own or increasing a little bit in terms of exports, the biggest growth 
in China's trade to the United States was in electronic products, 
making up 6.5 percent of products that are used in the United States in 
that category.
  So the massive trade deficit, which will at a minimum be $28 billion 
this year, but probably closer to $30 billion, is now not only because 
of unfair trade practices and barriers to market access, but also 
should be a source of concern because of the transfer of technology 
that is taking place. It is no longer just low-wage, labor-intensive, 
low-skilled jobs. Now we are talking about high-skilled jobs.
  Mr. Speaker, in the statement from Boeing they say, as I mentioned, 
that they will be able to build whole planes there soon, and it plans 
to convert $100 million over 5 years to build the spare parts center at 
the Beijing airport to set up training programs for pilots, crew, and 
maintenance staff; certainly, Mr. Speaker, a noble venture.
  It also says that the tails that will be made in China are made 
presently at the Wichita, KS, plant of Boeing. Hopefully, no jobs will 
be lost in Wichita. What we are concerned about are the jobs that are 
not added in Wichita.
  I hope that our colleagues will read the Washington Post today, and 
it is in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, also, but in the 
local metropolitan newspaper it is titled ``Boeing To Send Work on Jet 
Parts To China.'' I would ask my colleagues to please read this before 
they vote.

                          ____________________