[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 155 (Friday, November 7, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H10304-H10305]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  ENSURING THAT COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES OF PEOPLE'S LIBERATION ARMY OF 
                          CHINA ARE MONITORED

  Mr. HAMILTON: Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mrs. FOWLER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, given the litany that we have heard this afternoon of 
recent PLA-driven misdeeds, the People's Liberation Army clearly should 
be placed on constant notice that this President have the flexibility 
to take immediate action against their enterprises and assets that are 
in this country, and this bill, I just want to remind my colleagues, 
would give the President the ability to target specific PLA-owned firms 
doing business in the United States when these kinds of activities 
occur.
  Now, let me stress again, it does not require the President to do 
anything, it only gives him the flexibility to do so, because in the 
past it has taken extraordinary emergencies like the Iraqi invasion of 
Kuwait or the Iranian seizure of American diplomats to trigger the 
provisions of IEPA. I do not think the President should have to wait 
until a crisis of that magnitude develops to be able to signal in a 
clear way that we disapprove of PLA misdeeds in the case of Chinese 
military-owned firms which would be clearly identified beforehand. 
Under this legislation, he would have the flexibility to act 
immediately.
  I think it is high time that we put the PLA on notice that their 
actions will be under close scrutiny by this government and that their 
enterprises and assets may be subject to increased regulation or 
seizure if the President so determines.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. SNOWBARGER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2647, 
to monitor and restrict the commercial activities of the Chinese 
Peoples Liberation Army, or PLA.
  China's Government imposes restrictions and barriers to companies 
that wish to enter its market--just as other countries do whose markets 
are beginning to develop. It is a fact of life that American and other 
foreign firms operating in China must pay for the privilege. We should 
do what we can to ensure that this payment is not going to the Peoples 
Liberation Army.
  The PLA is heavily engaged in commercial activities. The PLA also 
maintains a vast industrial empire. These factories do more than make 
weapons. Up to 80 percent of its operation is engaged in civilian 
production--particularly for the export market. Each company is 
diversified as well. Norinco--North China Industries Group--makes both 
toys and rifles.
  The hard currency earned by such enterprises is then used for buying 
high-technology weapons systems and financing Chinese espionage. PLA 
commercial enterprises have also been involved in smuggling fully 
automatic AK-47's into the United States to supply drug gangs.
  I believe that free and voluntary commerce is an effective method of 
opening up a society. Furthermore, I see such commerce as the acts of 
individual Americans and foreigners, not as the actions of nations. 
However, the armed forces of a totalitarian regime is not your garden-
variety customer or merchant. The American economy should not be a tool 
in China's efforts to build its military.
  Finally, I would like to relay a more personal note regarding the 
importance of restricting the PLA's commercial activities in the United 
States. A constituent of mine is the attorney for a Missouri family. 
The family's son had been given an SKS carbine as an inexpensive, first 
hunting gun. The gun was so poorly made that it discharged, with the 
safety on, when the butt struck the ground. The young man was killed. 
The family obtained a judgment against Norinco for its gross 
negligence. Unfortunately, it has proven impossible to enforce that 
judgment against the Chinese military in China. This is not just an 
issue of guns. It is virtually impossible to enforce liability against 
a subsidiary of the PLA for any defective product it may produce.
  Please join me in supporting this important legislation. The right of 
people to engage in free and voluntary commerce is very important to 
me. However, there is a difference between businesses and armies--
especially armies that are aiming intercontinental ballistic missiles 
at our citizens. This measure is vital to our country's national 
security.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. All time for debate has expired.
  The bill is considered read for amendment, and pursuant to House 
Resolution 302, the previous question is ordered.
  The question is on the engrossment and third reading of the bill.
  The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, and was 
read the third time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on passage of the bill.
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the ayes appeared to have it.
  Mrs. FOWLER. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were-- yeas 408, 
nays 10, not voting 15, as follows:

                             [Roll No. 614]

                               YEAS--408

     Abercrombie
     Ackerman
     Aderholt
     Allen
     Andrews
     Archer
     Armey
     Bachus
     Baesler
     Baker
     Baldacci
     Ballenger
     Barcia
     Barr
     Barrett (NE)
     Barrett (WI)
     Bartlett
     Barton
     Bass
     Bateman
     Becerra

[[Page H10305]]


     Bentsen
     Bereuter
     Berman
     Berry
     Bilbray
     Bilirakis
     Bishop
     Blagojevich
     Bliley
     Blunt
     Boehlert
     Boehner
     Bonilla
     Bonior
     Bono
     Borski
     Boswell
     Boucher
     Boyd
     Brady
     Brown (FL)
     Brown (OH)
     Bryant
     Bunning
     Burr
     Buyer
     Calvert
     Camp
     Campbell
     Canady
     Cannon
     Cardin
     Carson
     Castle
     Chabot
     Chambliss
     Chenoweth
     Christensen
     Clay
     Clayton
     Clement
     Clyburn
     Coble
     Coburn
     Collins
     Combest
     Condit
     Conyers
     Cook
     Cooksey
     Costello
     Cox
     Coyne
     Cramer
     Crane
     Crapo
     Cummings
     Cunningham
     Danner
     Davis (FL)
     Davis (IL)
     Davis (VA)
     Deal
     DeFazio
     DeGette
     Delahunt
     DeLauro
     DeLay
     Dellums
     Deutsch
     Diaz-Balart
     Dickey
     Dingell
     Dixon
     Doggett
     Dooley
     Doolittle
     Doyle
     Dreier
     Duncan
     Dunn
     Edwards
     Ehlers
     Ehrlich
     Emerson
     Engel
     English
     Ensign
     Eshoo
     Etheridge
     Evans
     Everett
     Ewing
     Farr
     Fawell
     Fazio
     Flake
     Foglietta
     Foley
     Forbes
     Ford
     Fossella
     Fowler
     Fox
     Frank (MA)
     Franks (NJ)
     Frelinghuysen
     Frost
     Furse
     Gallegly
     Ganske
     Gejdenson
     Gekas
     Gephardt
     Gibbons
     Gilchrest
     Gillmor
     Gilman
     Goode
     Goodlatte
     Goodling
     Gordon
     Goss
     Graham
     Granger
     Green
     Greenwood
     Gutierrez
     Gutknecht
     Hall (OH)
     Hall (TX)
     Hansen
     Harman
     Hastert
     Hastings (FL)
     Hastings (WA)
     Hayworth
     Hefley
     Hefner
     Herger
     Hill
     Hilleary
     Hilliard
     Hinchey
     Hinojosa
     Hobson
     Hoekstra
     Holden
     Hooley
     Horn
     Hostettler
     Hoyer
     Hulshof
     Hunter
     Hutchinson
     Hyde
     Inglis
     Istook
     Jackson (IL)
     Jackson-Lee (TX)
     Jefferson
     Jenkins
     John
     Johnson (CT)
     Johnson (WI)
     Johnson, E. B.
     Johnson, Sam
     Jones
     Kanjorski
     Kaptur
     Kasich
     Kelly
     Kennedy (MA)
     Kennedy (RI)
     Kennelly
     Kildee
     Kilpatrick
     Kim
     Kind (WI)
     King (NY)
     Kingston
     Kleczka
     Klink
     Knollenberg
     Kolbe
     Kucinich
     LaFalce
     LaHood
     Lampson
     Lantos
     Largent
     Latham
     LaTourette
     Lazio
     Leach
     Levin
     Lewis (CA)
     Lewis (GA)
     Lewis (KY)
     Linder
     Lipinski
     Livingston
     LoBiondo
     Lowey
     Lucas
     Luther
     Maloney (CT)
     Maloney (NY)
     Manton
     Manzullo
     Markey
     Martinez
     Mascara
     Matsui
     McCarthy (MO)
     McCarthy (NY)
     McCrery
     McDade
     McGovern
     McHale
     McHugh
     McInnis
     McIntosh
     McIntyre
     McKeon
     McKinney
     McNulty
     Meehan
     Meek
     Menendez
     Metcalf
     Mica
     Millender-McDonald
     Miller (CA)
     Miller (FL)
     Minge
     Mink
     Moakley
     Mollohan
     Moran (KS)
     Morella
     Murtha
     Myrick
     Neal
     Nethercutt
     Neumann
     Ney
     Northup
     Norwood
     Nussle
     Oberstar
     Obey
     Olver
     Ortiz
     Owens
     Oxley
     Packard
     Pallone
     Pappas
     Parker
     Pascrell
     Pastor
     Paxon
     Payne
     Pease
     Pelosi
     Peterson (MN)
     Peterson (PA)
     Petri
     Pickering
     Pitts
     Pombo
     Pomeroy
     Porter
     Portman
     Poshard
     Price (NC)
     Pryce (OH)
     Radanovich
     Rahall
     Ramstad
     Rangel
     Redmond
     Regula
     Reyes
     Riggs
     Rivers
     Rodriguez
     Roemer
     Rogan
     Rogers
     Rohrabacher
     Ros-Lehtinen
     Rothman
     Roukema
     Roybal-Allard
     Royce
     Rush
     Ryun
     Sabo
     Salmon
     Sanchez
     Sanders
     Sandlin
     Sanford
     Sawyer
     Saxton
     Scarborough
     Schaefer, Dan
     Schaffer, Bob
     Schumer
     Scott
     Sensenbrenner
     Serrano
     Sessions
     Shaw
     Shays
     Sherman
     Shimkus
     Shuster
     Sisisky
     Skeen
     Skelton
     Slaughter
     Smith (MI)
     Smith (NJ)
     Smith (OR)
     Smith (TX)
     Smith, Adam
     Smith, Linda
     Snowbarger
     Snyder
     Solomon
     Souder
     Spence
     Spratt
     Stabenow
     Stark
     Stearns
     Stenholm
     Stokes
     Strickland
     Stump
     Stupak
     Sununu
     Talent
     Tanner
     Tauscher
     Tauzin
     Taylor (MS)
     Taylor (NC)
     Thomas
     Thompson
     Thornberry
     Thune
     Thurman
     Tiahrt
     Tierney
     Torres
     Towns
     Traficant
     Turner
     Upton
     Velazquez
     Vento
     Visclosky
     Walsh
     Wamp
     Waters
     Watkins
     Watt (NC)
     Watts (OK)
     Waxman
     Weldon (FL)
     Weldon (PA)
     Weller
     Wexler
     Weygand
     White
     Whitfield
     Wicker
     Wise
     Wolf
     Woolsey
     Wynn
     Young (AK)
     Young (FL)

                                NAYS--10

     Brown (CA)
     Dicks
     Hamilton
     Houghton
     Lofgren
     Moran (VA)
     Nadler
     Paul
     Pickett
     Skaggs

                             NOT VOTING--15

     Blumenauer
     Burton
     Callahan
     Cubin
     Fattah
     Filner
     Gonzalez
     Klug
     McCollum
     McDermott
     Quinn
     Riley
     Schiff
     Shadegg
     Yates

                              {time}  1706

  Ms. WATERS, Mr. ROEMER, and Mr. BERMAN changed their vote from 
``nay'' to ``yea.''
  So the bill was passed.
  The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________