[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 6]
[House]
[Pages 8856-8857]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


[[Page 8856]]

                              CHINA TRADE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 19, 1999, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell) is 
recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, this morning I would like to address 
something we started to talk about last evening, and that is the vote 
we will be taking probably tomorrow on China and our trade relations 
with China.
  The minority leader wrote a book last year, An Even Better Place, 
America in the 21st Century, where he dismissed as ludicrous the 
contention that expanded trade fosters democracy in China. ``America 
has to stand for something more than money,'' the Minority Leader said, 
and I agree with him wholeheartedly.
  It seems to sum up what we have been saying, we opponents. We are not 
or do not wish to cut off relationships with China and the Chinese 
people. In fact, our argument is not with the Chinese people, our 
argument is with the authoritarian government which has tortured, which 
has beaten down any dissidents, any opposition.
  Strictly on the issue of security, the proponents of permanent trade 
relations with China, normal relationships, whatever we wish to call 
them, they have been talking first about the jobs that would be 
created, and then when they could not win that battle, they switched to 
the issue of national security.
  Three points.
  My main thrust is jobs this morning. We know that in these past 10 
years, China has targeted up to 18 intercontinental ballistic missiles 
at the United States.
  Two, during this same period of time, we signed an export control 
waiver which allowed the top campaign fundraisers in aerospace 
companies to transfer sensitive missile guidance technology to China.
  Number three, during the same period we shifted the prime satellite 
export responsibility from the State Department to the Commerce 
Department. In the sequel to ``sleeping with the enemy,'' I would 
imagine this is pretty consistent. This in no way is going to 
strengthen the security of the United States. This deal is a bad deal.
  The worst part of the deal is for the American workers. As China 
seeks entry to the World Trade Organization, and as our trade deficit 
with China soars to record heights, $70 billion by the end of this 
year, at least, our manufacturing jobs are being sucked from our shores 
away from our workers.
  This is critical to understand, because if we are not going to help 
produce more jobs in America and sustain the economy, the robust 
economy that we have, then where will jobs be created, if not in 
America? These jobs are going to places like China, where there is no 
regard for labor, where there is no regard for human safety, and where 
there is no regard for environmental or health standards.
  I find that it is best to take a step back and look at exactly what 
is happening. Granting PNTR to China would strip America's ability to 
keep check on the Communist regime. Granting PNTR to China says that 
China has gained our trust and approval, and I would be saying that I 
believe this trade deal is the best thing for the people of my 
district.
  But as I mentioned last night, I did have a nightmare on Thursday 
evening, after standing with the 60 dissidents east of the Capitol 
here. I dreamt with horror that there was an uprising in China, as 
there are many dissidents who are afraid to speak up at this moment, 
and that this great country, this pillar of democracy in the world, the 
greatest democracy that the world has ever known, stood alongside of 
the authoritarian, totalitarian Chinese government to put this 
insurrection down. That is a horror show.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to start by thanking my colleague from 
Oregon, Mr. DeFazio, for his tremendous leadership, in standing up for 
working people worldwide. I am pleased to join him here today.
  There is a reason that the proponents of this flawed deal have been 
touting the national security and ``theoretical'' reform benefits they 
see in this package. Because they know that the argument that this bill 
is good for our working families is just plain wrong!
  As China seeks entry to the World Trade Organization, and as our 
trade deficit with China soars to record heights, our manufacturing 
jobs are being sucked from our shores, away from our workers.
  Those jobs are going to places like China where there is no regard 
for labor, safety, environmental or health standards.
  When dealing with issues such as this, I find that it is best to take 
a step back and look at exactly what we are doing. What does this vote 
mean?
  Day after day I try to work with firms, be they manufacturing, or 
textile, or other small businesses, to see what I can do to assist the 
business in reaching its fullest potential.
  How can I vote on Wednesday to send these businesses and jobs 
overseas?
  Normal Trade Relations? This does not seem normal to me!
  I cannot stress enough, the mistake we will make by passing this bill 
later this week. I understand that unemployment is at its lowest, and 
that the economy is soaring.
  But workers are making less money than ever. After NAFTA, we saw tens 
of thousands of good jobs, with benefits, and security go South to 
Mexico. What has increased has been the number of temporary workers. 
Companies have been hiring people to work full time jobs, without 
health plans, without protections, not on salary.
  The bottom line is that this is not a government in China that we 
have been able to trust. It has broken every commitment it has made 
with the United States of America.
  It has broken every trade agreement it has signed with the United 
States over the past 10 years.
  Supporters of PNTR claim that China will buy our imports. But I do 
not see the infrastructure or the wealth in China to accept any 
substantial amount of American merchandise. Business does not want to 
sell cars to China, they want to build cars in China.
  Over the past ten years, our trade deficit with China has ballooned 
from 7 billion dollars to 70 billion dollars! There is currently a 6-
to-1 ratio of imports to exports.
  Supporters of this flawed bill claim that we need PNTR to see our 
economy grow. That fact is however, that China has had NTR over the 
past twenty years, and things continue to get worse. We are taking a 
bad deal and making it permanent.
  In the United States, we have seen a dangerous shift from a 
production to service based economy. This deal threatens the tremendous 
creative spirit of our nation with the prospect of exploitation 
overseas.
  I will not vote for a proposal that is downright dangerous to our 
society at large.
  We can and will not surrender our manufacturing base, our production, 
our jobs.
  Manufacturing is tremendously important to my district. There are 
1,114 manufacturing firms who employ 57,000 workers in the Eighth 
District, and these firms are critical to our infrastructure.
  Granting PNTR to China would strip America's ability to keep check on 
the communist regime in China. Granting PNTR to China says that China 
has gained our trust and approval, and I would be saying that I believe 
this trade deal is the best thing for the people of my district.
  I will not do that, because this is a bad deal for our workers.
  The numbers do not lie. If PNTR is granted, New Jersey will see 
22,276 jobs lost over the next ten years. The United States as a whole 
will suffer a net job loss of 872,000 jobs over the same ten years.
  Proponents like to talk about job creation, but they do not like 
publicizing the job loss on our side.
  The real job creation will be in China, where U.S. businesses will 
flock with their factories.
  They will go there to pay thirty-three, thirteen, even three-cents 
per hour in sweatshops that are basically workshops from a maximum-
security penitentiary.
  Big business in America wants to exploit a labor force that cannot go 
on strike for higher wages, or for better conditions. It wants to take 
advantage of a labor force that is oppressed by its government. In 
fact, China has prison labor camps listed among its manufacturing 
companies!
  Why is this year any different? Why is this trade deal any different? 
What has China

[[Page 8857]]

done to gain our trust, besides stealing of our nuclear secrets?
  China is not all of a sudden going to play by the rules. They will 
not limit their imports. China will not be a good trading partner, 
because there is no enforcement or reason to be.
  With permanent NTR, we will have thrown in our last chip on keeping 
China in check.
  This deal is bad for my district, New Jersey, and the country. I 
stand with environmentalists, veterans, human rights activists, and 
most importantly, working families, to oppose this legislation.
  The timing is wrong, and the deal is wrong.
  Now is not the time we should not vote to rubber-stamp a failed 
trading arrangement into infinity.
  Trade rights should be a privilege to be earned, not a right merely 
handed out!

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