| February 24, 2000
The Honorable William Jefferson Clinton Dear Mr. President: We are writing to express our strong support for your leadership in facilitating China's accession to the World Trade Organization and in ensuring that the United States enjoys the benefits of this landmark accession by securing Congressional passage of permanent Normal Trade Relations. Information technology in the United States is dramatically improving the way that Americans live, learn and work. The explosive growth of the Internet and related information technologies is yielding enormous economic benefits in terms of higher economic growth, productivity gains and new job creation. As a social force, these technologies are linking people across geographic and socioeconomic boundaries, creating new opportunities and contributing to positive societal change. Our companies are pleased to be playing an important part in the rise of a new, digital network-based economy. One of the critical challenges we face collectively as we enter the new century is to ensure that the benefits of the Internet and information technology revolution are more widely shared around the globe. With China's accession to the World Trade Organization, American firms will have the opportunity to operate in China to develop and expand the information technology sector to include global Internet and e-commerce capabilities. However, our ability to operate and work in China and remain competitive in global markets depends upon extending permanent Normal Trade Relations with China. Today, more than 9 million Chinese are online and over the next few years China is expected to become one of the largest Internet markets in the world. China clearly recognizes the importance of information technology and is striving to establish a foundation for the application of IT and the development of e-commerce. China's commitments in the WTO to open up its services markets, including value added telecommunications services, as well as commitments to reduce tariffs on information technology products will remove market access barriers and enable U.S. firms to contribute to the transformation that is underway in China. China's accession to the WTO and the extension of permanent Normal Trade Relations is critical to the development of a truly global Internet medium. We recognize that the process of incorporating new technologies such as the Internet into China will not occur overnight and without expressions of concern. Yet, it will inevitably occur, and America can and should play a positive role in contributing to this process. A vote for permanent NTR for China is a vote to open China to the Internet, to information technology and to the enormous benefits associated with these technologies. It is also a vote to ensure that U.S. firms will be able to compete in this rapidly growing market, helping to ensure continued U.S. leadership in this important sector. We look forward to working with you and your capable team, led by Secretary Daley and Steve Richetti, to urge Congress to vote to extend permanent NTR for China to ensure the continued growth of the Internet globally which will benefit the people of both China and the United States. Sincerely,
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Last Updated: 2-Mar-00