Unexpected Trip for China Trade

More than three weeks after the path-breaking House vote to normalize trade relations with China, the short road to passage that the bill’s proponents envisioned in the Senate has turned longer and potentially bumpier.

Several senators and senior legislative aides now say they expect the chamber’s Republican leadership will put off a debate on the issue until July at the earliest. And Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) said Friday he has been told the issue might not come to the floor until September.

Daschle said a delay of that length “would be very troubling” and might create more hurdles that would jeopardize the legislation.

Democrats Complain of Political Motives

Interviews with senators from both parties indicate that eventual passage of a China trade bill still seems assured. Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) has said passage is a question of when, not if.

But a delay into the late summer could cloud the bill’s fate if the Senate also amends the measure. That would force another politically sensitive House vote on the China trade issue close to the November elections.

“I don’t think anyone wants to go back through the whole process in the House and vote again,” said Commerce Secretary Bill Daley, the administration’s point man on the trade bill who on Thursday was tapped to head Vice President Al Gore’s presidential campaign.

Labor leaders strongly oppose the trade measure, and some remain chagrined at Daley’s aggressive efforts on its behalf--an example of the issue’s divisiveness within the Democratic Party. It is against that backdrop that Daschle and other Democrats complain that Senate GOP leaders have political motives for delaying action on the China bill.

“It has been reported to me on numerous occasions that there are many Republicans who have advised that we hold off to make this as difficult on Democrats as possible,” Daschle said. “It is no secret that this is not an easy issue for a lot of Democrats, for most Democrats. . . . A big part of our base is very concerned about the implications of [the trade bill]. Clearly, the longer this hangs out there, the more problematic it is.”

Both President Clinton and business lobbyists who strongly support the bill have been urging quick Senate action, hoping to capitalize on the momentum the legislation gained from the 237-197 House approval vote on May 24.

The House bill would grant Beijing’s communist regime permanent normal trade relations with the United States--ending two decades of year-to-year reviews. It also would require certain steps to monitor human rights and labor standards in China, as well as import surges that might threaten U.S. industries.

Proponents say the legislation would allow U.S. businesses to take full advantage of steep cuts in tariffs and other trade benefits China agreed to last year in a deal with the United States that helped clear the way for Beijing’s entry into the World Trade Organization.

Labor unions, in particular, lobbied fiercely against passage, arguing that the measure would cost hundreds of thousands of U.S. jobs and appease an authoritarian regime that flouts international human-rights norms. Well more than 60 of the 100 senators support China trade legislation--more than the amount needed to stop a vote-killing filibuster. But the longer the bill remains on the Senate docket, some lawmakers believe, the more it could become a magnet for amendments that would foil a rapid-passage strategy.

Amendments are expected to be offered by Sens. Paul Wellstone of Minnesota, a liberal Democrat, and Jesse Helms of North Carolina, a conservative Republican, both critics of the legislation.

But the proposal that may cause more significant problems comes from a backer of China trade, Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.). He is sponsoring a measure, to be offered either as a parallel bill or an amendment to the trade bill, that would give more scrutiny to China’s record on proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear missiles.

Looking to Avoid Any Amendments

While rising trade with China might help U.S. national security in the long run, Thompson said, in the short run the country poses a threat to America.

Lott said he is trying to negotiate a solution that would satisfy Thompson without endangering the trade bill.

Lott also has said repeatedly that moving other bills needed to fund government operations is now his highest priority.

Some Republicans also are restless over the delayed vote on the China bill.

Sens. Craig Thomas (R-Wyo.) and Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) are circulating a letter among their peers urging a quick vote on the House bill without amendments.

Thomas said the GOP leadership could bring up the bill any day and find broad support.

“How long are we going to keep messing around?” he asked.