[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 4 (Thursday, January 27, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H11-H13]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    OPPOSITION TO GRANTING PERMANENT NORMAL TRADE RELATIONS TO CHINA

  (Mr. WOLF asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks and include therein 
extraneous material.)
  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my grave concern in 
granting China permanent normal trade relations. A recent Zogby 
International poll shows that the American people overwhelmingly oppose 
granting permanent trade relations with China until human rights and 
religious freedom improve.
  Sixty-eight percent of the Republicans, 70 percent of the Democrats, 
65 percent of Independents insist on better human rights and religious 
freedom within China before establishing permanent MFN. Every age 
group, every gender, every income, every political spectrum insists on 
human rights.
  The American people know about the Chinese government's continued 
persecution of the Protestant House Church. They know the Chinese 
Government has seven Catholic Bishops in jail. They know that the 
Chinese has 10 Catholic priests in prison.

                              {time}  1300

  They know they have plundered Tibet, and they know they are 
persecuting the Muslims.
  I personally believe if the Congress votes to grant permanent normal 
trade relations, or MFN, for China, Congress will be on the wrong side 
of the American people and I believe on the wrong side of history.
  Mr. Speaker, I provide for the Record documents in support of my 
comments.
       39. Should the US have a permanent open market with China 
     and admit the country to the global trade system or should 
     the US insist on better human rights and freedom of religion 
     in China before we establish a permanent open market?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                       Total                                  Region                                                   Party                                          Primary                                  Union
                                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                       East            South         CentGrLk          West          Democrat       Republican      Independent      Democrat       Republican      Cannot Vote         Yes            No/NS
                                                                     f       %   -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                     f       %       f       %       f       %       f       %       f       %       f       %       f       %       f       %       f       %       f       %       f       %       f       %
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Open Market.....................................................     212    21.2      61    24.4      54    20.8      70    21.9      27    15.7      81    19.4      77    20.3      54    26.6     101    20.3      91    20.7      20    31.3      47    23.2     165    20.7
Human Rights....................................................     686    68.5     168    67.2     172    66.4     217    67.8     129    75.0     294    70.3     259    68.2     133    65.5     346    69.5     303    69.0      37    57.8     139    68.5     547    68.5
NS..............................................................     103    10.3      21     8.4      33    12.7      33    10.3      16     9.3      43    10.3      44    11.6      16     7.9      51    10.2      45    10.3       7    10.9      17     8.4      86    10.8
                                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Total.........................................................    1001   100.0     250   100.0     259   100.0     320   100.0     172   100.0     418   100.0     380   100.0     203   100.0     498   100.0     439   100.0      64   100.0     203   100.0     798   100.0
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                           US Direction                                          Personal Finances                                                          Age Group-B
                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                               Right        Wrong Track         NS            Better           Worse           Same             NS             18-24           25-34           35-54           55-69            70+
                                             Direction   -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                         ----------------
                                             f       %       f       %       f       %       f       %       f       %       f       %       f       %       f       %       f       %       f       %       f       %       f       %
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Open Market.............................     148    25.4      58    16.7       6     8.3     101    24.2      27    19.4      83    18.9       1    20.0       6    17.1      23    23.5      92    22.0      62    23.0      28    16.2
Human Rights............................     390    67.0     250    72.0      46    63.9     283    67.9      95    68.3     307    69.8       1    20.0      25    71.4      65    66.3     297    70.9     179    66.3     118    67.1
NS......................................      44     7.6      39    11.2      20    27.8      33     7.9      17    12.2      50    11.4       3    60.0       4    11.4      10    10.2      30     7.2      29    10.7      29    16.8
                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Total.................................     582   100.0     347   100.0      72   100.0     417   100.0     139   100.0     440   100.0       5   100.0      35   100.0      98   100.0     419   100.0     270   100.0     173   100.0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

       39. Should the US have a permanent open market with China 
     and admit the country to the global trade system or should 
     the US insist on better human rights and freedom of religion 
     in China before we establish a permanent open market?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                       Total                Born Again                                                       Ideology                                                         Gender                       Work Outside
                                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                        Yes            No/NS       Prog/VLiberal      Liberal        Moderate      Conservative      Very Cons          NS             Male           Female            Yes            No/NS
                                                                     f       %   -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                     f       %       f       %       f       %       f       %       f       %       f       %       f       %       f       %       f       %       f       %       f       %       f       %
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Open Market.....................................................     212    21.2      37    15.7      57    23.8      15    25.0      42    24.0      85    23.4      54    17.3      12    19.4       3    11.1     108    28.7     104    16.6      59    17.2      45    16.0
Human Rights....................................................     686    68.5     177    75.0     147    61.5      42    70.0     117    66.9     247    68.0     222    70.9      44    71.0      14    51.9     236    62.8     450    72.0     247    71.8     203    72.2
NS..............................................................     103    10.3      22     9.3      35    14.6       3     5.0      16     9.1      31     8.5      37    11.8       6     9.7      10    37.0      32     8.5      71    11.4      38    11.0      33    11.7
                                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Total.........................................................    1001   100.0     236   100.0     239   100.0      60   100.0     175   100.0     363   100.0     313   100.0      62   100.0      27   100.0     376   100.0     625   100.0     344   100.0     281   100.0
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

       39. Should the US have a permanent open market with China 
     and admit the country to the global trade system or should 
     the US insist on better human rights and freedom of religion 
     in China before we establish a permanent open market?

[[Page H12]]



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                                                       Total                                 Age Group                                                       Education                                                                 Race
                                                 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                       18-29           30-49           50-64            65+