3 Former Presidents Urge Passage of China Trade Bill
The White House released a letter Monday from three former presidents urging Congress to grant permanent normal trade relations to China. Opponents countered with endorsements of their own, along with stinging criticism of an oversight plan designed to narrow the gap between the two sides.
The moves reflected stepped-up political jostling as a critical House vote nears. That vote, scheduled for the week of May 22, has been billed as one of the most important of the 106th Congress. The Senate is expected to pass the measure by a substantial margin.
The outcome is expected to have a major influence on the future of U.S. relations with China. The issue is seen as one of the last major congressional battles of the Clinton presidency, and the White House has mounted a major effort to secure passage.
In an open letter to the American people, Gerald R. Ford, Jimmy Carter and George Bush said that granting China permanent normal trade relations “will serve our national interest.” They said that a yes vote makes good economic sense for America by opening Chinese markets to U.S. producers. They also stressed the national security implications of the decision.
“Enactment of [permanent trade relations] will reduce the volatility and improve the atmosphere of U.S.-China relations, strengthen our ability to move China in the right direction and increase China’s stake in stability and prosperity in the region,” they said. “A vote against . . . would be read in China as a vote for confrontation.”
Ford, Carter and Bush are scheduled to join several other high-profile figures at a White House news conference today to promote the bill.
Opponents of the initiative were quick to counterattack, hoping to drum up publicity today with an appearance by actress Goldie Hawn at a strategy meeting led by Rep. David E. Bonior (D-Mich.). A Bonior spokesman said that Hawn would share her expertise as “an advocate for women’s issues and religious freedom in China and Tibet.”
Opponents published letters from three noted Chinese dissidents urging Congress to reject the legislation and instead to continue voting each year for annual renewals of China’s trade status.
Since it began annual renewals in 1980, Congress never has voted to reject normal trading status with China. But human rights activists say that the mere possibility of a negative vote serves as an effective deterrent. Large trade unions, which are pressing for improved labor standards and worker rights, have a similar view.
“The annual review and possible sanctions are effective tools . . . and help protect human rights,” said Wei Jingsheng, who spent 19 years as a political prisoner in China before he was released in 1997 and put on a plane to the United States.
Wei’s remarks were directed at a separate package of measures drawn up by Rep. Sander M. Levin (D-Mich.) designed to ease the concerns of human rights groups and trade unions without cutting into the bill’s support among conservative, free-trade Republicans.
A draft of Levin’s package, which likely would take the form of an amendment to the trade bill or of parallel legislation, includes provisions for monitoring human rights, labor standards and compliance with commitments China made to the United States as part of its anticipated entry into the World Trade Organization.
Initial criticism indicated that Levin’s attempt to thread a political needle will not be easy. Business groups expressed concern that plans to create a new bureaucracy to monitor Chinese activities could complicate the trade relationship. Both human rights and labor activists rejected the proposed oversight measures as toothless.
“I understand what the congressman’s motives are here, but this simply doesn’t work,” said David Smith, director of public policy for the AFL-CIO.
Pro-trade forces hope to pass the bill with a coalition of a majority of Republican votes and a substantial minority of Democrats. The outcome remains uncertain, though supporters contend they are gaining ground.
A survey of House members made public Monday on the Internet site of the National Journal, an independent news organization, found that 111 of 222 Republicans plan to vote yes or are leaning toward voting yes on the trade bill. They are joined by 38 Democrats. Passage would require 218 votes.
But 64 Democrats and 50 Republicans remain undecided, according to the survey.
“Neither side has a majority,” said Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), a leading opponent. “We’re close. I know [proponents] don’t have a majority. There are a large number of undecideds.”
