[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 70 (Friday, May 14, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S5389]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           CHINA, WTO, AND PERMANENT NORMAL TRADING RELATIONS

  Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, on behalf of a bipartisan group of 30 
Senators, this morning I sent a letter to President Clinton expressing 
our view that bilateral negotiations with China over accession to the 
World Trade Organization should be resumed immediately and finalized 
quickly. After completion of an agreement that clearly advances U.S. 
economic interests, we are committed to granting China permanent Normal 
Trading Relations (NTR) status.
  It is critical, especially after the events in Belgrade and Beijing 
over this past week, that we understand what is in America's national 
interest. It is in our national interest to ensure that China is 
incorporated into the global trade community through membership in the 
WTO. It is in our national interest to make sure that China follows 
internationally accepted trade rules. It is in our national interest to 
improve market access and open China's markets to American agricultural 
products, services, and manufactured goods. And it is in our national 
interest to do what we can to help anchor and sustain the economic 
reform process currently underway in China.
  As I look at the Senators who signed this letter, I see a broad 
representation of our country, our society, and our economy. The nature 
of this group, half Democrat and half Republican, demonstrates that 
there is strong and broad support in the Senate for us to focus on 
America's long-term national economic interests in developing our 
trading relationship with China. We cannot, we must not, and we will 
not, ignore the many problem areas in the broad U.S.-China 
relationship, from human rights to espionage to weapons proliferation. 
But the message is clear that we must look closely at every aspect of 
this relationship in an objective way, determine what is best for us as 
a nation, and act accordingly.
  The agreements reached during Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji's recent 
visit to Washington are solid. We want no back-pedaling on those 
understandings. We want an early resumption of the trade negotiations 
and a rapid conclusion. We want to bring China into the global trade 
community, and to do so it is necessary to grant China permanent normal 
trading relations status. The broad bipartisan group of Senators who 
signed today's letter firmly supports that.
  Let me be clear about the intended recipients of the message in this 
letter. We want the administration to know that a core bipartisan group 
in the Senate is behind resumption of negotiations and conclusion of a 
WTO agreement, and that group will support permanent NTR status for 
China. We want the most senior levels of the Chinese government to know 
that a good WTO agreement with the United States will lead rapidly to 
WTO accession and to permanent NTR status. We want the American public 
to understand that we in the Senate are taking strong leadership in 
promoting the long-term economic interests of this country.
  And we want the American business community to know that they have 
responsibilities: first, to work ceaselessly to take advantage of the 
concessions China will make as it enters the WTO, second, to expand 
exports to China that will grow jobs in the United States, and, third, 
to educate the public and policymakers about the importance of 
integrating China into the global economy.
  The terms negotiated by USTR, the Department of Agriculture, and 
others are excellent. These are structural changes, market opening 
measures, and trade concessions made by China, not by the United 
States. We, the United States, are giving up nothing and are obtaining 
immeasurable possibilities for the future.
  I ask unanimous consent that this bipartisan letter be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the letter was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                                  U.S. Senate,

                                     Washington, DC, May 14, 1999.
     President William Jefferson Clinton,
     The White House, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. President: We are writing to encourage you to 
     finalize bilateral negotiations over Chinese accession to the 
     WTO. For our part, upon conclusion of a market access 
     agreement that clearly advances our economic interests in 
     China, we are committed to granting China permanent Normal 
     Trading Relations status.
       Despite the events of this week in Belgrade and China, it 
     is critical that we focus on what is important to America's 
     national interest. Incorporating China into the global trade 
     community through WTO membership; encouraging China to follow 
     internationally accepted trade rules; opening Chinese markets 
     to our manufactured goods, agricultural products, and 
     services; and helping to anchor the economic reform process 
     underway in China, all serve our national interest. The 
     recent events in Belgrade and Beijing are reason neither to 
     weaken those commitments made during Premier Zhu Rongji's 
     visit last month nor to delay conclusion of the accession 
     process.
       We look forward to working with you to ensure an early 
     conclusion of these negotiations and China's accession to the 
     WTO.
           Sincerely,
         Max Baucus, John H. Chafee, Jay Rockefler, Don Nickles, 
           John Breaux, Chuck Grassley, Dianne Feinstein, Ted 
           Stevens, Tom Daschle, Frank Murkowski, Mitch McConnell, 
           Larry Craig, Orrin Hatch, Conrad Burns, Chuck Hagel, 
           Daniel Inouye, Patty Murray, Harry Reid, Sam Brownback, 
           Bob Kerrey, Pat Roberts, Rod Grams, Daniel K. Akaka, 
           George Voinovich, Ron Wyden, Jeff Bingaman, Richard H. 
           Bryan, Gordon Smith, Slade Gorton, Craig Thomas.

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