[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 16 (Tuesday, February 22, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S696-S697]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   AGRICULTURAL COOPERATION AGREEMENT

 Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, I would like to spend a few minutes 
discussing the Agricultural Cooperation Agreement that was signed by 
the United States and China in December in Seattle. Although the 
negotiations for this agreement were held at the same time as the 
bilateral WTO accession negotiations between our two countries, this 
agriculture agreement is a stand-alone arrangement. According to its 
own terms, it formally entered into effect when U.S. Trade 
Representative Barshefsky and Chinese Trade Minister Shi signed it.
  This agreement deals with three categories of agriculture products--
Pacific Northwest wheat, meat, and citrus. The agreement requires that 
sound science be used when evaluating agricultural imports into China. 
Specifically, the agreement ends the decade-long prohibition that China 
had against importing Pacific Northwest wheat. It provides for US 
government certification of meat packing facilities. And it eliminates 
unreasonable technical barriers to the export of citrus products from 
the United States to China.
  On February 11, 52 other Senators, Democrats and Republicans alike, 
joined me in sending a letter to Chinese President Jiang Zemin, 
insisting that China needs to implement the Agricultural Cooperation 
Agreement immediately. We explained to President

[[Page S697]]

Jiang that now is the time to buy our agricultural products. Words are 
fine. Agreements are fine. But what matters is the result--concrete 
commercial purchases. I would like to put a copy of that letter, along 
with a list of the 53 Senators who signed it, into the Record.
  I am very pleased to announce that a high level Chinese agriculture 
delegation, including government officials, along with representatives 
from COFCO, the China National Cereals, Oils, and Feedstuffs Import and 
Export Corporation, will visit my state of Montana on Wednesday and 
Thursday of this week. This is a critical next step in securing the 
implementation of the agriculture agreement.
  I will join with Montana agriculture, Montana business, and Montana 
economic development officials in Great Falls this week to meet this 
important delegation, to provide them with information about the 
opportunities Montana presents, and to offer them high quality and 
competitive agricultural products and value-added food products.
  I have been working for over twenty years to expand trade and open 
markets overseas for Montana and American agricultural commodities, 
value-added agricultural products, manufactured goods, and services. 
Increasing exports brings benefits to our farmers, our workers, and our 
communities, including, of course, in the state of Montana.
  China represents a market of almost unlimited potential. I have 
worked hard for the last ten years to expand trading relations between 
the United States and China. This year, I am leading the fight to grant 
China Permanent Normal Trade Relations status, PNTR. The full 
implementation of this agricultural agreement is a vital part of this 
effort to bring China into the WTO and to ensure that American and 
Montana will take advantage of the unique opportunities in China.

  I look forward to the signing of purchase agreements with China in 
the near future for Pacific Northwest wheat. Montana and China can help 
each other grow. That is what international trade is all about.

                                                February 11, 2000.
     President Jiang Zemin,
     People's Republic of China,
     Beijing, China.
       Dear Mr. President: We are writing to urge full 
     implementation of the bilateral Agricultural Cooperation 
     Agreement that Ambassador Barshefsky and Trade Minister Shi 
     signed in April. Both sides agreed that when they initialed 
     the Chinese version in Seattle last December that 
     implementation would begin immediately.
       We appreciate that your citrus technical team has completed 
     its visit to the United States. We understand that actions 
     will now be taken to make those changes necessary for 
     American citrus products to be sold to China.
       We want to stress, however, how important it is that actual 
     sales of wheat, meat, and citrus take place as soon as 
     possible. This would demonstrate to everyone watching our 
     bilateral relationship that this agreement is working. It 
     would also provide a solid contribution to the efforts to 
     ensure the passage of Permanent Normal Trading Relations 
     (``PNTR'') for China.
       Mr. President, we are entering a new stage in the 
     relationship between our two countries. The sale of product 
     through the Agricultural Agreement will help immeasurably.
           Yours Truly,
         Max Baucus, Bob Graham, Kent Conrad, Tim Johnson, Patty 
           Murray, Slade Gorton, Pat Roberts, Larry E. Craig, 
           Blanche L. Lincoln, Dick Durbin, Michael B. Enzi, Tom 
           Daschle, Trent Lott, Spencer Abraham, George V. 
           Voinovich, Sam Brownback, Craig Thomas, Connie Mack.
         Daniel Inouye, Mike Crapo, Gordon Smith, Jay Rockefeller, 
           Joe Biden, Harry Reid, Richard Bryan, Rod Grams, Chuck 
           Hagel, Wayne Allard, Tom Harkin, John Edwards, Rick 
           Santorum, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Evan Bayh, Chuck 
           Robb, Jeff Bingaman, John Ashcroft, Bob Kerrey.
         Conrad Burns, Jim Bunning, Byron L. Dorgan, Kit Bond, 
           Chuck Grassley, Phil Gramm, Lincoln Chafee, Barbara 
           Boxer, Charles Schumer, Ron Wyden, Paul D. Coverdell, 
           Herb Kohl, Dianne Feinstein, Daniel K. Akaka, Orrin 
           Hatch, Kay Bailey Hutchison.

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