[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 86 (Thursday, June 19, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1264-E1265]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


              CAN PEOPLE OF FAITH DIFFER ON MFN FOR CHINA?

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DONALD A. MANZULLO

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 19, 1997

  Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, political and religious persecution 
continues in China. These human rights violations, spotlighted as 
Congress considers extending its trade status with China, are appalling 
to everyone. But the question of whether we should keep the trade door 
open or isolate China in trying to bring an end to these abuses is far 
from unanimous, especially among the faith community.
  First, it is important to recognize that the most-favored-nation 
trade status--up for a vote in Congress in late June--is a misnomer 
that gives no special treatment to China. In fact, MFN is the normal, 
unprivileged trade status held by every other nation in the world 
except six.
  But some within the religious community believe even normal trading 
practices with China are unconscionable. Family psychologist James 
Dobson and his Washington-based Family Research Council, led by Gary 
Bauer, former domestic policy adviser to President Ronald Reagan, 
believe that cutting off trade with China will send a message that will 
convince the Chinese Government to halt the persecutions of Christians 
and other people of faith.
  Others, however, insist a public Christian stance against MFN is not 
in the interest of the church in China and will seriously hamper the 
efforts of Christians from outside China who have spent years seeking 
to establish a Christian witness among the Chinese people. In fact, 
they fear the human rights violations will be exacerbated if we cut our 
ties with China, thereby removing our Western influences from this 
emerging democracy. Those who share this belief include Joseph M. 
Stowell, president of the Moody Bible Institute; Don Argue, president 
of the National Association of Evangelicals; and the China Service 
Coordinating Office, an umbrella group representing more than 100 
missionary groups, many in China, including the Institute for Chinese 
Studies at Wheaton College's Billy Graham Center.
  The United States Catholic Bishops Association issued a statement 
opposing renewing MFN trade status for China, though not all the 
bishops agree with the statement. Ironically, Hong Kong's official 
Catholic newspaper, the Sunday Examiner, reported new contacts between 
Beijing and Hong Kong's Catholic hierarchy, which could be a major step 
toward an official recognition of the Catholic Church inside China.
  And then there is Father Robert Sirico, president of the Action 
Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty, and a signatory to 
previous advertisements by the Family Research Council protesting 
religious persecution in China. ``Just as religious freedom offers the 
best hope for Christian social influence, economic freedom is the best 
hope for spreading that influence around the world,'' said Sirico, who 
supports MFN.
  Others, such as Ned Graham, son of evangelist Billy Graham and 
president of the missionary organization East Gates, believe the 
religious leaders opposing MFN should temper their language in speaking 
on the situation because it has the effect of bringing more persecution 
upon the church in China.
  As a believer in the freedom of worship and as a United States 
Congressman, I have written numerous letters and protested religious 
persecution in Russia, Kuwait, Romania, China, and other parts of the 
world. I wrote to Secretary of State Albright to ask her to raise the 
issue of religious persecution during her visit to Russia and China. I 
cosponsored and voted for legislation that condemned human rights 
abuses against religious believers around the world. That resolution 
urged the President to create a special advisory committee for 
religious liberty abroad or to appoint a White House special advisor on 
religious persecution. This battle does not just involve Christians 
around the world. The persecution of one faith is persecution of all 
faiths. And wherever and whatever religious beliefs are persecuted, 
public officials must speak out.
  I believe we must engage in trade with China and still publicly 
condemn their human rights abuses. It is important to remember where 
China has been and where it is today. Thirty years ago, millions of 
people were executed following political sham trials in the cultural 
revolution. Now, thanks to the influence of foreign companies, more 
Chinese people have the opportunity to work without the shackles of 
state control. The American presence in China is a force for good, 
where the vast majority of firms pay their workers higher than average 
wages and offer a host of benefits, such as health care, housing, 
recreation, education, and travel. I spoke with the granddaughter of 
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, who overthrew the feudal Manchu Dynasty in 1911 and 
was the first provisional president of the Republic of China. She told 
me of the many positive changes in China, from the disappearance of 
neighborhood spies to the destruction of the internal passport system, 
which prevented people from moving from one job to another or from one 
town to another. Missionaries with whom I speak say while persecution 
continues, the churches continue to grow. It is important not to 
isolate China.
  While MFN does not grant China a special trade status, it also does 
not grant China any special trade rules. While trading with China, we 
must use our enforcement tools to stop improper trade practices. We did 
this recently to help Brake Parts in McHenry County, IL, when some 
Chinese companies were selling brake rotors at below market prices. I 
advised Brake Parts to file a complaint with the International Trade 
Commission, which issued a punitive order against those Chinese 
companies. If goods are found to be made in prison labor camps, then we 
should enforce our own laws to prohibit their sale in the United 
States. If the Chinese throw up trade barriers against United States 
sales in China, then we should impose trade sanctions and retaliate 
against the Chinese by imposing stiff tariffs.
  The debate over China is good. Democracy is at its best when well-
meaning people of

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good intentions are involved on differing sides of an issue. I thank 
God that in America we have the freedom to debate this issue.

                          ____________________