[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 41 (Wednesday, April 5, 2000)]
[House]
[Page H1826]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             PERMANENT NORMAL TRADING RELATIONS WITH CHINA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Berry) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BERRY. Mr. Speaker, I want to speak this evening in support of 
Permanent Normal Trading Relations with China. I want to commend the 
Speaker of the House for setting a date when we will have the vote 
before Memorial Day.
  I want to commend the President for the extraordinary effort that he 
is putting into this. I want to commend Ambassador Barshefsky; 
Secretary of Agriculture, Dan Glickman; and Secretary of Commerce, Bill 
Daley for their strong effort to help us pass Permanent Normal Trading 
Relations with China.

                              {time}  1800

  We must approve permanent normal trading relations with China in May, 
or our economy will suffer for years to come. It will be a terrible 
mistake for this country not to approve this agreement. There are 1.3 
billion people in China, 20 percent of the world's population, one of 
the fastest growing economies in the world. This is a good deal for 
America. It cuts overall tariffs from 24 to 9 percent by 2005, cuts 
overall agriculture tariffs from 31 to 17 percent, it gives us five 
times more market access for cotton, 20 times more market access for 
rice, an unbelievable potential for poultry, beef, pork, soybeans, 
wheat and nearly every other ag product, and a huge potential for 
technology, banking, telecommunications, insurance. We give up nothing 
in this agreement, Mr. Speaker. This agreement grants us access to 
their market. It does not give them any additional access to our 
markets.
  China has had access to our markets for the last 20 years. The 
Chinese want a seat at the international trade negotiating table. They 
must give access to get that. If this agreement does not happen, we 
will lose out and the rest of the world will gain. Literally the rest 
of the world will laugh all the way to the bank. China is going to 
enter the World Trade Organization whether we pass this agreement or 
not. Our choice is whether we want to have the same access to a market 
of 1.3 billion people as the rest of the world. The only choice for us 
to make is to approve permanent normal trading relations with China.

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