[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 38 (Monday, September 25, 2000)]
[Pages 2132-2134]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on Senate Passage of Permanent Normal Trade Relations With China 
and an Exchange With Reporters

September 19, 2000

    The President. Good afternoon. Today the Senate voted to pave the 
way for permanent normal trade relations between the United States and 
China. This landmark agreement will extend economic prosperity at home 
and promote economic freedom in China, increasing the prospects for 
openness in China and a more peaceful future for all of us.
    When we open markets abroad to U.S. goods, we open opportunities at 
home. This vote will do that. In return for normal trade relations--the 
same terms of trade we offer now to more than 130 other countries--China 
will open its markets to American products from wheat to cars to 
consulting services. And we will be far more able to sell goods in China 
without moving our factories there.
    But there is much more at stake here than our economic self-
interests. It's about building a world in which more human beings have 
more freedom, more control over their lives, more contact with others 
than ever before, a world in which countries are tied more closely 
together, and the prospects for peace are strengthened.
    Trade alone won't create this kind of world, but bringing China 
under global rules of trade is a step in the right direction. The more 
China opens its markets to our products, the wider it opens its doors to 
economic freedom and the more fully it will liberate the potential of 
its people.
    When China finishes its negotiations and joins the WTO, our high-
tech companies will help to speed the information revolution there. 
Outside competition will speed the demise of China's huge state 
industries and spur the enterprise of private sector involvement.
    They will diminish the role of government in people's daily lives. 
It will strengthen those within China who fight for higher labor 
standards, a cleaner environment, for human rights, and the rule of law.
    And we will find, I believe, that America has more influence in 
China with an outstretched hand than with a clenched fist. Of course, 
none of us should think for a moment that any of these outcomes are 
guaranteed. The advance of freedom ultimately will depend upon what 
people in China are willing to do to continue standing up for change. We 
will continue to help support them.
    Peace and security in Asia will depend upon our military presence, 
our alliances, on

[[Page 2133]]

stopping the spread of deadly weapons. So we will continue to be a force 
for peace, and we will not rest in our efforts to make sure that freer 
trade also is fairer trade.
    These are some of the most important issues that our Nation faces. 
That's why this vote was so important and, for many, so difficult. I 
want to thank Senator Lott and Senator Daschle, Senator Roth, Senator 
Moynihan, and Senator Baucus, as well as those who led our effort in the 
House, and everyone within this administration who worked so hard to 
achieve this important milestone.
    But I also want to acknowledge those who raised important questions 
about this policy and say to you, this is not the end of the story; it 
is the beginning. We have a chance, not a certainty but a chance, to 
strengthen our prosperity and our security and to see China become a 
more open society. Now our test as a nation is whether we can achieve 
that. I hope, and I strongly believe, that we will.
    Thank you very much.

Middle East Peace Process

    Q. Mr. President, what's your understanding of what's going on in 
the Middle East? Prime Minister Barak announced a suspension of talks. 
Now, he says he'll resume tomorrow. What's going on there, sir?
    The President. They're down to the difficult issues, and they're 
both feeling the pressure of these hard issues and the press of time. I 
don't think it's more complicated than that, and I think you should 
expect, from time to time, both sides to express some exasperation. And 
as long as they get back to the work, you should feel positive about it.
    Q. Are you, sir, exasperated by the process itself?
    The President. No. I always thought it was going to be hard. And 
they're down to the difficult--there are no easy decisions now, so we've 
just got to keep working at it and try to finish.

Permanent Normal Trade Relations With China

    Q. Now that they have the trade bill, sir, what incentive will China 
have to listen to our concerns about human rights and weapons 
proliferation?
    The President. Well, first of all, on the proliferation front, let 
me point out that we've made a lot of progress. China signed the 
Chemical Weapons Convention, the Biological Weapons Convention, the 
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. And 
they work with us to stop transfers that we thought were destructive on 
more than one occasion.
    Are there still problems? Yes, there are. I think that the incentive 
they will have is that more and more countries will want to become more 
and more involved with them as long as they feel that they're becoming 
more responsible members of the international community. And also, 
they'll have other ways to earn money over the long run that are 
responsible, legal, and actually socially beneficial. And I also believe 
that they have shown in other ways that they would like to be partners 
in the international system and assume a leadership role that is 
constructive. All of this will be possible if there is a common course 
on nonproliferation. Furthermore, I think that all big countries will 
come to see that their own personal interests are more advanced by 
nonproliferation than by having various entities within the country make 
a quick buck through proliferation. It's not good politics, and it's 
certainly not good for national security.

Downed Cuban Aircraft

    Q. Mr. President, have you followed the situation of this downed 
aircraft just off of Cuba, and what can you tell us about that 
situation, sir?
    The President. I don't know that I can say any more than I have seen 
on the breaking news. I have clearly--I've been briefed, and we know 
about what's been on the news reports. Let me say this. I can imagine 
that there will be a lot of questions about what should be done about 
the people that are found alive. I think the most important thing now is 
just to worry about their care: How badly are they hurt; what kind of 
medical care do they need; How quickly can we get it to them? To me, 
that's the overwhelming question, and I think other facts will emerge

[[Page 2134]]

as the day goes on, and we'll probably know a lot more about it 
tomorrow.

Strategic Petroleum Reserve

    Q. How close are you, sir, to making a decision on tapping the 
Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and what sort of time constraints do you 
have to work with, given the fact that winter's coming?
    The President. Well, first I want to--I really do want to see what 
is the considered market judgment about the recent OPEC move, and I 
don't think we've seen it yet. It's been sort of complicated by 
speculations about Iraq, about speculations about what the refinery 
capacity is, and some uncertainty, still, about how much oil is on the 
seas now based on production.
    So I'm studying this very closely. I've talked to a lot of people 
about it; I will continue to do that. But we have some time before it 
will be too late to affect the supplies and availability of all the 
products we'll need as the cold weather sets in. I just think we need a 
few more days to see what the real market impact of the OPEC decision 
is. And as all of you know--you've read all the stories and analyses 
about what the decision might or might not mean, and I just want to see 
what the lay of the land is, and then I'll make the best judgment I can.
    Q. Would mid-October be too late?

Independent Counsel's Report

    Q. Mr. President, there's word that Independent Counsel Ray will 
release a statement tomorrow about his findings on Whitewater, including 
the role of your wife. Six weeks away from the election, do you question 
the timing?
    The President. Well, you know, even Mr. Starr said almost 2 years 
ago that there was nothing to any of that stuff that's just been coming 
out now, a year and a half later. So I think people are capable of 
drawing their own conclusions about that. I don't think I can serve much 
of the public interest by commenting on it. I think it's pretty obvious.
    We had a report from a truly independent source in 1996, saying that 
nothing wrong was done and that Hillary's billing records fully 
supported her account--1996. So nothing has changed in this thing in the 
last few years, and I think people will just be able to draw their own 
conclusions.
    Thank you.

Note: The President spoke at 3:42 p.m. in the James S. Brady Briefing 
Room at the White House. In his remarks, he referred to Prime Minister 
Ehud Barak of Israel and former Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr. A 
reporter referred to current Independent Counsel Robert W. Ray.