Copyright 2000 The National Journal, Inc.
The National Journal
September 16, 2000
SECTION: TRADE; Pg. 2878; Vol. 32, No. 38
LENGTH: 238 words
HEADLINE:
Senate Moves on China Trade Bill
BYLINE: Stephen
Norton/CongressDaily
BODY:
The Senate was
poised to approve legislation granting permanent
normal trade relations to
China after soundly defeating a score
of amendments this week, including one
to stem Chinese weapons
proliferation. Senate passage, on the heels of the
House's 237-
197 approval in May, will send the PNTR bill
to an eager
President Clinton for his signature without further delay. The
proliferation proposal, sponsored by Sens. Fred D. Thompson, R-
Tenn.,
and Robert G. Torricelli, D-N.J., had long been the main
stumbling block to
this inevitable conclusion. Thompson said that
granting
PNTR to the Chinese "without addressing their abysmal
record of spreading weapons of mass destruction signals to the
world
that we won't do anything that might offend our trading
partners-even if it
involves our national security." But business
interests and the Clinton
Administration worked strenuously to
defeat the amendment, and on Sept. 13,
the Senate voted 65-32 to
table it. PNTR supporters
objected to adding any Senate
amendments to the House-passed trade bill,
because that would
mean a revote in the House. As amendment after amendment
fell or
was withdrawn, Sen. Ernest F. Hollings, D-S.C., complained: "The
jury is fixed. This legislation is fixed." At press time, a
spokesman
for Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., said a
final vote on the
PNTR bill was expected on Sept. 19.
LOAD-DATE: September 19, 2000
