(WASHINGTON, D.C.)-The Business Roundtable's goTRADE organization provided first-hand evidence of the value of the China market to American small business in a hearing conducted by the House Ways and Means Committee. The hearing's topic was the proposal to extend Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status for China.

Kyle Burns, director of International Sales at Columbia 300, Inc., a manufacturer of high-performance and entry-level bowling balls, and member of BRT's goTRADE organization in San Antonio, Texas, provided testimony.

"The Chinese market is particularly important for Columbia," said Burns. "We began exporting bowling balls indirectly to China through Hong Kong approximately seven years ago, and we began exporting directly to China approximately four years ago. Our main markets are in the major metropolitan areas along the East Coast of China. Recently, China has accounted for as much as seven percent of our international sales, and it promises the greatest growth potential for our products."

The BRT has sponsored research on the enormous opportunities that opening the Chinese market would create for American workers, farmers and businesses. Included in this research are studies of the impact the landmark U.S.-China trade agreement would have on each of the 50 states (these reports can be obtained from BRT's Web site at (www.brt.org). The data in the reports clearly show that small businesses throughout the United States will be the beneficiary of increased trade with China.

Burns explained to the committee how PNTR legislation would lead to greater exports for Columbia 300. "Foreign companies have no right to distribute products other than those they make in China, and they cannot own or manage distribution networks, wholesaling outlets, or warehouses. Under the [China market access] agreement, China will for the first time grant U.S. companies like Columbia the right to import without Chinese middlemen, and it will also permit full rights of distribution. We will therefore have the freedom to establish our own networks to distribute our products in China."

BRT's goTRADE initiative is a national trade education and information program designed to help Americans better understand the benefits of international trade. Each local goTRADE organization features a locally organized pro-trade network comprising businesses, workers, academics, and others with an interest in supporting open trade. The goTRADE initiative is currently operating in 19 states and 88 congressional districts. For more information, visit www.gotrade.org.