TIA Applauds Clinton's Call for Passage of Permanent
Normal Trade Relations for China
Arlington, Va. -- The Telecommunications
Industry Association (TIA) applauds President Clinton’s
State-of-the-Union call for congressional granting of
permanent normal trade relations status (PNTR) for
China, as part of its bid to join the World Trade
Organization (WTO).
TIA President Matthew J. Flanigan stated, “TIA
supports the president’s call for unconditional, timely
approval of PNTR for China. China’s rapidly growing
telecommunications market holds tremendous potential for
U.S. telecom equipment suppliers. From cell phones to
routers to fiber optic cable, U.S. telecom exports to
China are contingent upon Congress’s positive action on
this issue.
“When China accedes to the WTO, it will begin the
process of opening up its markets to foreign
competition. China’s telecom sector is already exploding
– telecom subscriber numbers are climbing, cell phone
users are skyrocketing and infrastructure is being
deployed at a rate seldom seen in markets around the
world. If Congress does not grant China unconditional
PNTR, however, U.S. telecom companies will not realize
any of the market-opening benefits of China’s accession.
Instead, other WTO members will gain access to the
Chinese market while U.S. companies sit back and watch
their market share disappear.
“The president’s appointment earlier this month of
two senior-level cabinet members to lead the fight for
PNTR indicates his administration’s commitment to
opening China’s tremendous market to U.S. businesses. We
support the president’s actions, and will do all we can
to ensure U.S. telecom manufacturers enjoy the same
benefits in China’s market as other WTO members will.”
In the bilateral WTO accession package reached
between the United States and China on November 15,
1999, China made substantial concessions, especially in
areas that will affect high-technology sectors. Upon
accession, China will sign onto the Information
Technology Agreement (ITA), which would eliminate –
within five years of accession – tariffs on IT products;
grant foreign companies trading and distribution rights
in China; commit China to make all government
procurement processes clear and transparent; enforce
intellectual property rights; ensure transparency and
national treatment; and guarantee that China signs on to
the WTO's Agreement on Basic Telecommunications (BTA)
and its Reference Paper. Signing on to the BTA would
commit China to, over a period of years, ensured
interconnection to the Chinese networks, creation of an
independent regulator and many other aspects of fully
competitive markets.
For more information, please visit TIA’s Web site at
http://www.tiaonline.org/international/regional/asia/wto.cfm
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TIA is a full-service
national trade organization with membership of 1,000
large and small companies that provide communications
and information technology products, materials, systems,
distribution services and professional services in the
United States and around the world. The association's
member companies manufacture or supply virtually all of
the products used in global communication networks. TIA
represents the telecommunications industry with its
subsidiary, the MultiMedia Telecommunications
Association (MMTA),
in association with the Electronic Industries Alliance
(EIA).
P.A. Release 00-09/01.28.00
