Copyright 2000 The National Journal, Inc.
The National Journal
September 23, 2000
SECTION: TRADE; Vol. 32, No. 39
LENGTH: 208 words
HEADLINE:
The Slow Boat Arrives: PNTR Approved
BYLINE: Stephen Norton/CongressDaily
BODY:
It only took close to nine months,
millions of lobbying dollars,
skillful negotiations, and wrenching decisions
for some
lawmakers, but with an 83-15 Senate vote, legislation granting
permanent normal trade relations to China finally is on its way
to the
White House for President Clinton's signature. The
lopsided Senate vote on
Sept. 19 followed a long struggle in that
chamber over a Chinese weapons
proliferation amendment sponsored
by Sen. Fred D. Thompson, R-Tenn., that
finally was defeated on
Sept. 13. Clinton summed up what most Senators
apparently
concluded in declaring, "America has more influence on China with
an outstretched hand than with a clenched fist." Business groups
were
delighted with the vote. In fact, the Electronic Industries
Alliance had a
little fun in thanking supporters by delivering T-
shirts emblazoned with
this phrase: "I helped improve the
standard of living of over one billion
people and all I got was
this lousy T-shirt." Of course, now begins the hard
part-
implementation. Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., who helped round up
Democratic votes for PNTR while also backing enhanced
monitoring
of trade agreements, noted, "We have a lot of work to do ahead of
us."
LOAD-DATE: September 26, 2000
