Dole Riled, Could Sink U.S. China Policy

For three years, the Bush Administration has had a crucial ally in its effort to maintain its China policy in Congress: Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole, whose home state of Kansas has been enriched by China’s large purchases of American wheat.

Now, infuriated by a testy showdown with the Chinese ambassador to Washington over Beijing’s threat to end purchases of U.S. grain, Dole is warning that he will withdraw his support for unconditional renewal of Beijing’s trade benefits.

His threat raises the prospect that Congress may soon have a veto-proof majority to overturn President Bush’s China policy.

Since taking office, Bush has managed to avoid having Congress overturn any of his presidential vetoes on China or any other legislative issue.

Al Lehn, a Dole aide, said Tuesday that, if the Senate minority leader does not get assurances over the next few days that China will continue to buy American grain, then “it will be impossible to sustain a presidential veto” on China. He said Dole has given the same message to National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft and is warning the Chinese ambassador in writing.

Congress on Tuesday passed and sent to the White House this year’s version of legislation that attaches conditions for renewal of China’s most-favored-nation trade privileges. This allows Chinese goods to be imported into this country under the same low duties enjoyed by most other countries. The conditions include improvements in China’s policies on human rights, trade and arms exports.

Dole’s ire was first aroused when a report by the official New China News Agency suggested Sept. 10 that China might cut off purchases of American grain as a form of retaliation for Bush’s decision to sell U.S. F-16 warplanes to Taiwan.

In recent years, China has been the top purchaser of American wheat.

Last week, Dole called in Chinese Ambassador Zhu Qizhen to demand that China drop its threat.

But Zhu refused. “The ambassador essentially did not back down,” said Lehn. “He told (Dole) how strongly the Chinese felt about the American sale of F-16s to Taiwan, that it was a violation of past agreements between the United States and China and that (preventing the sale) was a high priority for them. Dole asked him, ‘Are you saying it’s a higher priority than MFN?’ ”

China’s most-favored-nation status is of enormous economic importance to the Communist regime. With the help of these benefits, China has built up a trade surplus with the United States now running at more than $13 billion a year--larger than for any nation besides Japan.