| International Brotherhood of Teamsters |
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| (Washington, D.C.) -
International Brotherhood of Teamsters General President James P.
Hoffa today criticized President Clinton’s decision to send
legislation to Congress proposing to grant Communist China Permanent
Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status.
"It is disappointing that the Clinton Administration chose to go ahead with PNTR for Communist China, especially in light of the recent reports of escalating human and worker rights abuses," Hoffa said. "There is nothing ‘normal’ about the way China treats its citizens - so why should we treat them as ‘normal’ trading partners?" The Teamsters believe that Communist China should not be rewarded with PNTR status because of its heinous record of human rights abuses, use of forced labor and repeated violations of past trade agreements. The State Department’s Human Rights Report, released on February 25, confirmed that China’s human rights record "markedly deteriorated" during the past year. "Let me be very clear. The Teamsters are not opposed to trade. In fact, our members’ livelihoods depend on trade," Hoffa said. "But we believe in a U.S. trade agenda that provides fair competition for American workers - a trade agenda with a human face." The Teamsters believe that Congress should refrain from early action on PNTR until China completes its bilateral accession agreement with the European Union. Additionally, action should be delayed subject to China’s response to the Taiwanese elections, and most importantly until the American people have been given the opportunity to review the U.S.-China trade deal. This secret agreement has never been released to the public. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters represent more than 1.4 million working men and women throughout the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. |