[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 67 (Friday, May 22, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H3758]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 REQUESTING THE PRESIDENT TO PLEASE EXPLAIN TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY TO 
                            COMMUNIST CHINA

  (Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, I would like the President to 
explain to the American people why authority for approving technology 
transfers to Communist China was transferred from the State Department 
to the Commerce Department in this administration.
  I would like to know why national security concerns would be 
overruled by commercial considerations, thus endangering the security 
of all Americans.
  The idea that it is official U.S. policy to improve Communist China's 
rockets defies explanation. Instead of developing a missile defense 
system of our own, this administrations is helping to develop Communist 
China's strategic nuclear missile program, a program with missiles even 
now aimed at the United States.
  This policy is madness, utter madness, and I am still awaiting an 
explanation from this administration why they determined that assisting 
Communist China in the development of its ``Long March'' missile is in 
the national interest of the United States.
  Refusing to build a national missile defense because perfecting 
China's missiles is a higher priority is not only nutty and bizarre, it 
clearly puts our country at increased risk.

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