[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 110 (Monday, July 10, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H6705-H6706]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



         EXTENDING MOST-FAVORED-NA- TION TREATMENT TO CAMBODIA

  Mr. CRANE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 1642) to extend nondiscriminatory treatment--most-favored-nation 
treatment--to the products of Cambodia, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 1642

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS.

       The Congress finds that--
       (1) Cambodia is now under democratic rule after 20 years of 
     undemocratic regimes and civil war, and is striving to 
     rebuild its market economy;
       (2) extension of unconditional most-favored-nation 
     treatment would assist Cambodia in developing its economy 
     based on free market principles and becoming competitive in 
     the global marketplace;
       (3) establishing normal commercial relations on a 
     reciprocal basis with Cambodia will promote United States 
     exports to the rapidly growing Southeast Asian region and 
     expand opportunities for United States business with 
     investment in the Cambodian economy; and
       (4) expanding bilateral trade relations that includes a 
     commercial agreement will promote further progress by 
     Cambodia on human rights and toward adoption of regional and 
     world trading rules and principles.

     SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF NONDISCRIMINATORY TREATMENT TO THE 
                   PRODUCTS OF CAMBODIA.

       (a) Harmonized Tariff Schedule Amendment.--General note 
     3(b) of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States 
     is amended by striking ``Kampuchea''.
       (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) 
     applies with respect to goods entered, or withdrawn from 
     warehouse for consumption, on or after the effective date of 
     a notice published in the Federal 

[[Page H 6706]]
     Register by the United States Trade Representative that a trade 
     agreement obligating reciprocal most-favored-nation treatment 
     between Cambodia and the United States had entered into 
     force.

     SEC. 3. REPORT TO CONGRESS.

       The President shall submit to the Congress, not later than 
     18 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, a 
     report on the trade between the United States and Cambodia 
     pursuant to the trade agreement described in section 2(b).

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Illinois [Mr. Crane] will be recognized for 20 minutes, and the 
gentleman from Florida [Mr. Gibbons] will be recognized for 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Crane].
  Mr. CRANE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1642, legislation to 
extend permanent most-favored-nation [MFN] tariff treatment to the 
products of Cambodia. This legislation, which was introduced by myself 
and the ranking member of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade, Mr. 
Rangel, is noncontroversial and was reported out of the Ways and Means 
Committee by a voice vote on June 20.
  After two decades of civil war, Cambodia held democratic elections in 
May, 1993. Upon the formation of the freely elected Royal Cambodian 
Government on September 24, 1993, the United States and Cambodia 
immediately established full diplomatic relations. To normalize trade 
relations between our countries, the United States concluded an 
agreement with Cambodia in the spring of 1994 on bilateral trade 
relations and intellectual property protection that calls for a 
reciprocal extension of MFN status.
  Since taking office, the Cambodian Government has taken steps, and 
planned additional action, to convert the Cambodian economy from one 
based on central planning to one based on market-oriented principles. 
Establishing normal commercial relations with Cambodia will assist in 
this transformation by making Cambodian exports to the United States 
more competitive in the global marketplace.
  In addition, establishing normal commercial relations with Cambodia 
on a reciprocal basis will promote United States exports to the rapidly 
growing southeast Asian region and expand opportunities for United 
States businesses and investment in the Cambodian economy. Furthermore, 
expanding our bilateral trade relations with Cambodia will promote 
further progress by Cambodia on human rights and toward the adoption of 
regional and world trading rules and principles.
  The Congressional Budget Office has determined that enactment of H.R. 
1642 has no significant budgetary effect.
  I urge my colleagues to support enactment of this legislation.

                              {time}  1545

  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Crane] has adequately 
explained this piece of legislation. I want to just comment a little on 
the term ``most favored nation.''
  First of all, I heartily endorse what the gentleman from Illinois 
[Mr. Crane] has said. We need to grant most-favored-nation treatment to 
Cambodia. Now, I hate to explain this to my colleagues, but most 
favored nation does not mean that much. It just means normal trading 
status for an emerging country.
  I mention this because every now and then somebody gets on the floor 
and says, oh, for that horrible country, and then they will name the 
country, you are giving them most-favored trading status, which sounds 
like you are really giving them something.
  Well, we are not really giving them anything. We are giving ourselves 
access to their markets and them to our markets on the same basis that 
we give all the other nations on earth, with very few minor exceptions.
  So I hope nobody will take umbrage by the fact that we are granting 
most-favored-nation treatment to little Cambodia. Cambodia has had a 
tortured career in the last few years. They have had terrible 
revolutions in their country and awful bloodshed, but they have 
signaled that they want to go right and want to do the right thing.
  It is time that we welcome them into the family of trading nations. 
Perhaps as more of our people go there and more of their people come 
here and as we exchange goods with each other, we may exchange some 
ideas that will do us both some good.
  Mr. Speaker, I heartily endorse most-favored-nation treatment for 
Cambodia.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CRANE. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend our ranking minority member 
on the Committee on Ways and Means who has been a devotee of the 
advancement of free trade principles in all the years I have had the 
privilege of working with him. I think it illustrates the bipartisan 
support that we have on this proposal before us today.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I year back the 
balance of by time.
  Mr GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Shays). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Illinois [Mr. Crane] that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1642.
  The question was taken.
  Mr. GIBBONS. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a 
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not 
present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 5 of rule I and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

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