[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 76 (Thursday, June 5, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H3550-H3551]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             MFN FOR CHINA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from California [Mr. Dreier] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I have taken out this time to talk about an 
issue which has come to the forefront. Many people are addressing it, 
and we apparently will be voting on this issue the week of June 23, 
most likely the 25th of June, that being whether or not we should renew 
most-favored-nation status for the People's Republic of China.
  There are a wide range of issues that are addressed here, whether it 
is arms proliferation, human rights, the kinds of things that have come 
to the forefront, trade issues. I will say that I am very concerned 
about every single one of them. But I would like to take this few 
minutes to talk about an issue which has troubled me greatly.
  I should say at the outset that, as has been the case in the past, I 
am very, very strongly supportive of maintaining most-favored-nation 
trading status for the People's Republic of China because in the 4,000-
year history of China, the single most powerful force for positive 
change in that period of time has been economic reform. Let me say how 
important that has been and an issue which is of concern to me and many 
others, and that is the policy of forced abortion that exists in China.
  It is terrible to have the so-called one-child policy that exists 
there. I believe that we should do everything that we can to change 
that, because that policy cannot be tolerated. Mr. Speaker, not many 
people know that the policy of engagement and economic reform which has 
existed in China is undermining the one-child policy there.
  There is a young woman, 27 years old, who lives in a tiny town called 
Dongguan which is in the Guangdong Province which adjoins Hong Kong. 
Her name is Ye Xiuying. She worked for $35 a month as a factory worker 
in this area. A plant was opened up from a U.S. business, and she was 
able to establish her own small business near this plant. Her income 
went from $35 a month to $1,200 a month, an amazing growth, something 
that has empowered her.
  Because of the fact that she was able to gain such economic strength, 
she was able to pay the government the one-time $1,800 charge, and in 
fact not suffer an abortion as many of the provinces have imposed in 
China but in fact have her second child. She in fact had a girl, 
something that the government opposes. They want to have boys. She was 
able to have a second child; she was able to have a girl.
  As I listen to many of my colleagues talk about the idea of sending a 
message to the government of China by bringing an end to most-favored-
nation trading status, that kind of policy would in fact encourage more 
abortions in China. As we listen to people regularly claim that we will 
be able to bring an end to the human rights violations, the saber 
rattling in the Taiwan straits, the horrible treatment of Tibet, the 
transfer of weapons, the military buildup in China if we end our 
contact with them through most-favored-nation trading status, clearly 
they are wrong.
  Because if we look at the recent past in China, during the great leap 
forward under Mao Zedong, 60 million people were starved. Also under 
Mao, during the cultural revolution, 1 million people were murdered by 
the government. And, of course, the world was not made aware of this.
  What has happened? As we opened up China, and did in fact what Ronald 
Reagan said he wanted to have done in Eastern and Central Europe when 
he said, ``Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall,'' so that those in 
Eastern and Central Europe could mingle with the West, the same thing 
has been happening with China. It would be tantamount to declaring 
economic and political war with China if we were to tamper with or 
revoke what is an inappropriate name to describe it, most-favored-
nation trading status, which simply means regular trading arrangements 
that exist there.
  Mr. Speaker, if we look at the fact that we have not solved every 
problem there, and I demonstrate my outrage over the human rights 
violations, I have talked with dissidents, I marched to the Chinese 
Embassy following the Tiananmen Square massacre to demonstrate my 
outrage, I have come to the conclusion that what would happen if we 
revoked MFN would be that we would not be isolating China from the 
world but we would in fact be isolating the United States of America 
from the most populous nation on the face of the earth.
  There are many missionaries today who are very involved in China and, 
yes, there is religious persecution and it is unacceptable, 
reprehensible and should be addressed. But if we ended MFN, we would 
clearly jeopardize the chance for those missionaries who are there from 
the United States and other parts of the world to be successful.
  Mr. Speaker, I simply say when this vote comes up in 2 weeks, I urge 
a vote against the resolution of disapproval so that we can do 
everything, including undermining the one-child policy.

[[Page H3551]]



                          ____________________