CONGRESSMAN CLEMENT TO VOTE "NO" ON PERMANENT TRADE RELATIONS WITH CHINA
NATIONAL SECURITY, HUMAN, RELIGIOUS AND
WORKER RIGHTS CITED

May 11, 2000

Washington - Tennessee's Fifth District Congressman Bob Clement announced today that he will vote "no" on legislation to grant Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) with China. His decision came after months of study and discussions about the issue.

"Make no mistake - I understand the value of international trade, and I am a believer in developing trade opportunities to enhance our economic future," Clement said. "In the final analysis, however, I am not convinced that the best interests of this nation and of the people of my state are well served by rewarding China with unconditional permanent normal trade relations.

"Clearly, China does not meet reasonable standards for human rights, religious freedom, or worker protection. China's record of compliance with existing trade agreements with the United States leaves much to be desired. And the volatile situation involving China and Taiwan raises serious concerns about our own national security interests.

"I believe a more prudent and responsible approach is to continue an annual review of China's trade status. In the past, I have supported granting normal trade relations to China on an annual basis. In this way, we have more and better opportunities to move that country toward a more democratic, free market system, while maintaining a trade relationship that certainly can be beneficial to the people of both nations.

"But granting permanent status to China is a significantly different issue. Such an action would remove China's incentive to make progress on those issues of particular concern to the United States."

Specifically, Clement cited five major reasons for deciding to oppose PNTR at this time:

• National Security. The prospects for peace and prosperity in Asia depend heavily on China's role as a responsible member of the international community. Recently, however, China has taken an even more aggressive stance toward Taiwan - to the point of threatening military action. And we have reason to doubt Chinese commitments to help stem the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. We should not reward a nation with PNTR when that same nation is steering a dangerous course that could threaten our national security interests.
  
  
• Human Rights. As China progresses rapidly in terms of economic power, technological development and international affairs, its progress in human rights has been disappointingly slow. In terms of political freedom, democratic institutions and the guarantee of basic rights, China simply does not meet any reasonable standard.
  
  
• Religious Freedom. The number of documented cases of religious persecution in China is alarming. China continues to harass, detain, beat and torture Catholics, Protestants, Tibetan Buddhists, and members of the spiritual movement Falun Gong. Clement was an author of the International Religious Freedom Act, the provisions of which have helped document China's unacceptable record on religious persecution.
  
  
• Labor Concerns. The right for workers to organize and bargain collectively is not only discouraged in China, it is punished by imprisonment or worse. Forced labor camps continue to exist in China; and these camps provide no compensation for work under deplorable conditions. Without real labor standards and protections in place, PNTR could cripple our own apparel and textile industries, placing American jobs at risk and endangering American workers and their families.
  
  
• China's Record of Noncompliance. To some degree, the Chinese government has avoided full compliance with many of the trade agreements it has made with the United States. While our trade deficit with China continues to grow, China has broken its agreements with us on opening markets, stopping the piracy of intellectual property, and ending the export of goods produced in the forced labor camps. The statements of China's negotiators on PNTR lead Clement to believe that we cannot count on full, good-faith compliance with this agreement, either.

Clement emphasized that his "no" vote will not mean an end to America's trade relationship with China. "The U.S. and China will continue to have a binding trade relationship under international law, governed by the 1979 trade agreement between our two countries and several subsequent bilateral deals.

"I look forward to the day when China fully joins the international community in a commitment to democratic values, human rights, and trade that is truly free and fair," Clement said. "Until that time, we have a duty to use whatever tools we have available to us to influence China to take that path. My vote against PNTR for China is one such tool, and I utilize it in good conscience and with a conviction that it will benefit both the Chinese and American people."