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504 Cannon House Office
Building · Washington, DC 20515 For Immediate
Release Rep.
Pitts votes to grant PNTR to China Washington—Rep.
Joe Pitts (R, PA-16) today voted to grant permanent Normal Trade
Relations to China, convinced that to isolate China would only hurt
the very people American human rights advocates seek to help. The measure passed on a vote
of 237 to 197. “This is a vote
for human rights, religious liberty, and free markets,” said Rep.
Pitts. “China is indeed
guilty of severe human rights abuses. I have myself confronted the
Chinese leadership about this, and will continue to do so. But we can either punish
them for this by isolating them, or we can engage them and show them
there is a better way for the future. In the long run,
the only way to change China is to interact with its leaders and
people.” “The Bereuter
proposal for continued human rights monitoring is something I have
supported from the start. Yes, we are opening new markets with China
and making unprecedented exchanges of culture and currency
possible. But we will
not be letting up on the human rights issue.” Rep. Pitts has
been active in international human rights efforts for many
years. He is currently
co-chairman of the Congressional Religious Prisoners Task Force and
a member of the Helsinki Commission, which monitors human rights
issues in Europe and Central Asia. # # # |
