[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 3]
[House]
[Pages 3061-3062]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           UNFAIR CHINESE AUTOMOTIVE TARIFF EQUALIZATION ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Davis of Kentucky). Under a previous 
order of the House, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jones) is 
recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. JONES of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, the United States national 
debt is $8.2 trillion. More than 25 percent, or $2 trillion of that 
national debt, is owned by foreign countries. China owns $300 billion 
of our public debt in bonds and Treasury notes. Our trade deficit with 
China is $200 billion alone.
  Between 1989 and 2003, the United States lost 1.5 million jobs to 
China. According to the Wall Street Journal, China plans to increase 
its military spending by 14.7 percent, the biggest increase in its 
defense budget in 4 years.
  A U.S. Government report issued in July said China is building up its 
military to be able to project power beyond Taiwan. The Pentagon budget 
issued this January stated that in the future China will have the 
greatest potential to compete militarily with the United States of 
America.
  Mr. Speaker, China has taken proceeds from our trade deficit and 
budget deficit and used the money to fund its military buildup. America 
has done nothing to address the problem as our trade policy continues 
to give every advantage to China's state-owned companies who continue 
to take American jobs and sell cheap goods that American workers used 
to produce.
  Mr. Speaker, I have joined with Republican Dale Kildee of Michigan 
and other Members of Congress in both parties to sponsor legislation to 
say that trade should be fair. What is good for America should be good 
for China. And what is good for China should be good for America.
  H.R. 4808, the Unfair Chinese Automotive Tariff Equalization Act, 
does not require U.S. tariffs on passenger cars to be raised or Chinese 
tariffs to be lowered. The bill simply states that until tariff rates 
are equal, no Chinese-made cars may be imported into America.
  Mr. Speaker, right now if America sells cars in China, they pay a 28 
percent tariff. But the United States tariff on Chinese cars will only 
be 2.5 percent. That is unfair and unacceptable. I hope that the House 
of Representatives will bring H.R. 4808 to the floor, and, by passing 
this legislation, say to the trade negotiators, both Chinese and 
American, all we want is fairness for the American workers.
  Mr. Speaker, with that I yield back my time, but I will close by also 
saying that I pray to God that He will bless our men and women in 
uniform and their families, and I ask God to continue to bless America.

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