[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 89 (Monday, June 23, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H4137]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           MOST-FAVORED-NATION STATUS FOR CHINA NOT DESERVED

  Mr. JONES. Mr. Speaker, the debate about granting most-favored-nation 
status to China is not just about trade, it is about human rights. We 
in the United States place great value on our freedoms. The freedom of 
speech and the freedom to practice religion are ideals on which our 
country was founded.
  The United States is the greatest, freest nation in the world. We 
enjoy the status, and yet we continue to support the oppressive Chinese 
Government through trade. This is not right.
  The Government of the People's Republic of China is one of the most 
oppressive governments in the world. We have all seen footage of the 
terrible massacre in Tiananmen Square. Unfortunately, such massacres 
are hardly rare occurrences in China.
  The Chinese people suffer horrible violations of their basic human 
rights every day. Citizens have been arrested for crimes such as 
signing petitions to protect human rights and speaking out peacefully 
in favor of democracy. Thousands of those arrested for supporting 
democracy or human rights become political prisoners in Chinese jails 
where they are beaten and tortured.
  To make matters worse, Mr. Speaker, China's human rights violations 
extend well beyond the political realm. The Chinese people are often 
arrested as criminals simply for holding religious beliefs. The 
government continues to increase its persecution of evangelicals, 
Protestants, Buddhists, and Roman Catholics who choose to worship 
independently from the government-controlled church, a church that does 
not recognize the Pope.
  Hundreds of Protestants and Roman Catholics were detained last year 
for practicing their faith. Forty Roman Catholics, for example, were 
arrested by police officers during Easter celebrations, and many of 
them were beaten. The police in China have conducted raids on nunneries 
and monasteries, detaining and torturing many of these people of God.
  Furthermore, the Chinese Government maintains a policy of forced 
abortions and sterilizations. The government is not only killing 
supporters of freedom and religion, it is killing innocent babies.
  As a man of deep religious faith and as a citizen of the United 
States, I cannot stand for this. By continuing to grant most-favored-
nation status to China, the United States is bolstering an oppressive 
government that is constantly violating the basic human rights of its 
people.
  Most-favored-nation status for China also bolsters a government that 
works against America's national security interests. Evidence suggests 
that the Chinese Government is heavily involved in missile and weapons 
technology transfers to Iran, one of our enemies. This is not a 
practice that the United States should support in any way.
  A recent Louis Harris poll shows that 67 percent of Americans are 
opposed to renewing China's MFN status. Let me repeat that, Mr. 
Speaker. A recent Louis Harris poll shows that 67 percent of the 
American people are opposed to renewing China's MFN status.
  As representatives of the people, I believe that Congress should 
follow the will of the people and revoke this status. It is high time 
that we follow the will of the people of America and send a real 
message to the Chinese Government. For the sake of democracy, religious 
freedom, the lives of the good people of China, and America's national 
security, I urge my colleagues to vote against renewing most-favored-
nation status for the oppressive Chinese Government.

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