Copyright 2000 The National Journal, Inc.
The National Journal
July 15, 2000
SECTION: TRADE; Pg. 2306; Vol. 32, No. 29
LENGTH: 215 words
HEADLINE:
China Vote Timetable in the Works
BYLINE: Charlie
Mitchell/CongressDaily
BODY:
Advocates of granting permanent normal trade relations to
China rode a
political roller coaster this week, but in the end,
it appeared that their
goal of a Senate vote this month was not
out of the question. Supporters'
hopes for a July PNTR vote were
buoyed late on July 12,
when Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott,
R-Miss., and Minority Leader Thomas
A. Daschle, D-S.D., announced
that they had initiated intense negotiations
with the Clinton
Administration; Sen. Fred D. Thompson, R-Tenn.; and other
Senators aimed at developing compromise language on Chinese
weapons-proliferation controls. Thompson has been pushing for
Senate
debate on his bill to impose sanctions on China for
certain proliferation
activities. If a deal is reached, the
proliferation bill could be attached
to other legislation and
dispensed with, while the Senate turned to the
PNTR bill.
Following a 90-minute meeting in Lott's office,
Thompson told
reporters: "There is no deadline, but time is running
short....
The Administration raised specific issues with the
(proliferation) bill-but I'm not sure it was anything
insurmountable."
Daschle added: "I am confident that we are all
in a position to work toward
the same goal-completion of PNTR
this month."
LOAD-DATE: July 19, 2000
