(WASHINGTON, D.C.)- As Congress prepares to tackle the issue of trade with China, The Business Roundtable applauded Iowa Rep. Greg Ganske for announcing his support for Permanent Normal Trading Relations (PNTR) status for China. Ganske's vote is considered a key swing vote on this critical issue, and his support for PNTR gives added momentum to the effort to pass the legislation early this year.

"With 96 percent of the world's population living outside our borders, it is critical that we reach new markets. Congressman Ganske's announcement today means a great deal to America's and Iowa's farmers, workers, consumers and companies," said BRT Executive Director Patricia Hanahan Engman, who joined with Ganske and other business and agriculture representatives at the Capitol Hill announcement. "Passing PNTR legislation is the crucial next step in enacting the most significant market access agreement in U.S. history. The U.S.-China trade agreement will open doors to the world's largest emerging marketplace of 1.2 billion customers."

Passing PNTR legislation will complete a process that started with the signing of the landmark market access agreement with China late last year. For the United States to fully realize the benefits of the agreement, Congress must pass PNTR legislation. Current U.S. law requires that China's status be renewed annually. "If we reject PNTR, America will be forced to watch from the sidelines as other nations - our competitors - take advantage of the new market opportunities. We cannot let that happen," said Congressman Ganske.

The agricultural community is among those that will benefit most from the agreement. According to U.S. Department of Agriculture projections, China could account for 37 percent of the future export growth in American agricultural products over the next decade. The agreement will knock down hundreds of barriers to American exports.

Iowa goTRADE, the BRT's grassroots trade education project, has worked closely with its member businesses and organizations to tell Rep. Ganske about the impact of trade with China on the 4th District. Iowa goTRADE, which includes the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, John Deere and Maytag, has generated a grassroots outpouring of support for PNTR for China.

"From automobiles to airplanes, services to soybeans, the agreement will give American workers, farmers, and companies access to worlds of new business opportunities," Engman added. "Failure to act on this opportunity will slam the door to the world's most populous market - and abandon China to our foreign competitors."