[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applies with respect to goods entered, or withdrawn from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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