UDALL REACTS TO VOTE ON PERMANENT NORMAL TRADE RELATIONS WITH CHINA
 

May 24, 2000

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Mark Udall (D-CO) released the following statement regarding a vote today on H.R. 4444, Permanent Most Favored Nation Status with China:

"The question is not whether to engage China, it is how and on whose terms. I support free trade, but I also support fair trade. After taking a hard look at the proposal, I couldn't support giving special trading status to a nation that uses child and slave labor, that imprisons its citizens for free speech and for their religious beliefs, and that has violated every trade agreement the U.S. has signed with it over the past decade. 

"China has racked up a dismal human rights record year after year. In fact, the situation has deteriorated markedly since late 1998. Before we grant PNTR, we should insist that China live up to agreements it has signed and that it adheres to international standards of human rights. 

"I believe it is important to retain Congress's annual opportunity to review China's record on human and worker rights. China's record of violating its citizens' fundamental human rights of freedom of speech, religion and association will be harder, not easier, to challenge if Congress grants PNTR.

"China does not do what it says it will do, especially as regards trade. China has violated all four bilateral trade agreements that it has entered with the U.S. since 1992. 

"For these reasons, I could not support the bill. Of course I don't believe we can or should ignore China. To do so would risk ignoring important economic opportunities and strategic and security considerations. I believe we should encourage China's economic modernization, but we should also encourage China to take the leap into the 21st century in more than just economic ways. Although I cannot support PNTR today, I remain committed to this activist cause."