Washington, D.C. — Congressman Chris Smith  joined Members of the House and leaders of pro-family advocacy groups in denouncing PNTR status for China in a press conference today, citing escalating human rights abuses and a persistent military threat against our nation as reasons for opposition.

“There is nothing “normal” about trade with China,” said Smith, Chairman of the International Operations and Human Rights Sub-Committee. “Normal countries do not routinely beat, torture and murder its citizens if they disagree with the government. Normal countries do not try to influence an upcoming democratic election in a neighboring land by making military threats if they do not like the outcome, like China did with Taiwan. Normal countries do not routinely violate their trade agreements and steal U.S. nuclear, military, and industrial secrets. And normal countries do not violate American campaign finance laws by attempting to buy elections in the United States,” added Smith.

Smith, accompanied by Congressmen Frank Wolf, Charlie Norwood, and Bob Ney,  as well as several leaders of pro-family organizations, emphasized that a myriad of different groups and organizations nationwide oppose PNTR, including the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. Smith said that one of the Report's key recommendations states that "[w]hile many Commissioners support free trade, the Commission believes that the U.S. Congress should grant China [PNTR] status only after China makes substantial improvement in respect for religious freedom," as measured by several specific standards.  

“Let’s be clear - we do not advocate isolationism,” added Smith. “ But we as a nation cannot grant PNTR to a country that systematically tortures its people, arrests religious believers, runs forced labor camps and exerts coercive population control. To grant PNTR to China would be to turn a blind eye to the horrors that are taking place each day in China,” added Smith.

Colonel Robert Maginnis, Director of National Security and Foreign Affairs for the Family Research Council said that improved trading status with China will further fuel the already serious security threat that the nation poses for U.S. interests in Asia as well as here at home. Colonel Maginnis further states that even while lacking such favorable trade status, the communist Chinese have managed 12 straight years of double-digit increases in defense spending.

Smith referred to comments by Bernard Cardinal Law, Chairman of the USCC Committee on International Policy, who sent a letter to Congress last month urging lawmakers to reject PNTR for China.  “People of good will can disagree on these matters,” said Cardinal Law. “Trade issues are often not the best means of expressing concern on human rights. Other means, not related to trade, should be sought and strengthened to communicate our country's deep concerns about China's worsening record on human rights and religious freedom, but a decision now to forgo on a permanent basis the annual review and debate on these issues could be seen as an abandonment of U.S. concern for religious liberty and human rights,” added Law.

“A vote against Permanent Normal Trade Relations with China will send a clear message that we will not tolerate China’s persistent human rights violations,” said Smith.