[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 91 (Wednesday, June 25, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S6301]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  MOST-FAVORED-NATION STATUS FOR CHINA

  Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, I would like to comment on the comments 
of the Senator from Michigan where he was addressing a foreign policy 
concern, and that is China.
  Yesterday, the House voted on most-favored-nation status and extended 
that status toward China even though we are having a great deal of 
difficulty in that country, and I do think we need to take additional 
steps in addressing this issue of China and our relationships back and 
forth.
  We have had problems with that nation expanding weapons of mass 
destruction, selling them to some of our enemies that we have around 
the world, particularly Iran. We have had problems with religious 
persecution, with forced abortion in that nation, and I think we need 
to step up and pass the issue of MFN.
  The Senator from Michigan has a start in his bill when he is talking 
about some different areas where we can put pressure on that nation in 
our relationship there to encourage more religious freedom taking place 
and to discourage things like weapons proliferation.


                         Religious Persecution

  On Monday of this week, Senators Joe Lieberman and Robert Bennett, 
along with myself, hosted a forum on religious persecution around the 
world. We found this was not just a problem in China. It is in the 
Middle East. It is in Africa. And we are talking about an issue that 
goes beyond just certain levels of discrimination, all the way to the 
point of slavery, to murder that is taking place in those countries.
  A number of us came forward with solutions. Let's create a register 
of those people who are being persecuted around the world, and let's 
start to highlight it. Let's start a commission in areas of the Middle 
East, in Africa, focusing on this issue of the need for religious 
freedom. It is a founding principle of this country. People came here 
seeking freedom, seeking religious freedom. We are and we always will 
be best as a nation when we talk about principles. This is a guiding 
principle that we need to continue to move forward beyond this debate 
of MFN and focus nationally on this issue of what is taking place 
there. Create the register, create the commissions, focusing on this 
area. And I look forward to working with my colleagues, Senator 
Lieberman and many others. I hope it will begin in us talking about 
something that is so basic to America, religious freedom. We need to 
implement that and move those around the world.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Who seeks time?
  Mr. KERRY addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Massachusetts is recognized.
  (The remarks of Mr. Kerry pertaining to the introduction of S. 956 
are located in today's Record under ``Statements on Introduced Bills 
and Joint Resolutions.'')

                          ____________________