U.S. Dept. of State - IIP: The United States and China

Transcript: Agriculture Secretary Delegation Beijing News Conference
(Glickman delegation discusses U.S.-China trade relations)

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Daniel Glickman, Governor Edward Schafer of North Dakota, and Representatives Norm Dicks of Washington State, Ruben Hinojosa of Texas, Greg Walden of Oregon, and Gregory Meeks of New York discussed issues surrounding the upcoming vote in Congress on permanent Normal Trade Relations (NTR) status for China in an April 25 press conference in Beijing.

"China has taken extraordinary steps to open this country and this economy, and is now preparing to join the World Trade Organization (WTO) and become fully integrated into a rules-based global market place," Glickman said. "We in the United States are deciding whether to use this opportunity to make our bilateral relationship as strong as it has ever been, by granting China permanent normal trade relations."

Representatives Hinojosa and Meeks, two members of Congress who are undecided on whether or not to vote to grant China permanent NTR, expressed concerns about China's human rights situation.

"I don't think that we can just bypass situations where human rights, workers' rights, are violated," Meeks said. "I think that when you say that you are concerned about people, you have got to be concerned about the everyday man and woman."

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Daniel Glickman
and Congressional Delegation's
Press Conference upon Arrival in Beijing
April 25, 2000

AMBASSADOR JOSEPH W. PRUEHER: Thank you all for coming out late and for greeting this delegation led by Secretary of Agricultural Dan Glickman. I welcome them to China. I am delighted they are here. On my right is Congressman Norm Dicks and on his right is Congressman Walden and on the left of Secretary Glickman are Governor Schafer of North Dakota and then Congressmen Hinojosa of Texas and down at the end is Congressmen Meeks from New York. And we are delighted to have them here in China where we've got a vote coming up in the United States on PNTR toward the end of next month. And they are here to take a look at China and also have a chance to see it first hand and form their own impressions. And I'd like to turn the floor over now to Secretary Glickman with the reminder that they came on about a 14-hour airplane trip, are pretty tired and have a quick arrival statement and there will be some more media time tomorrow.

GLICKMAN: Thank you very much Mr. Ambassador, it is a great honor to come to China. This is my fourth visit, and the second in my tenure as Secretary of Agriculture. I would say that before I begin I want to make a couple of remarks. But this is a mission -- a Presidential Mission. The President of the United States has asked our group to make this mission. In fact, he gave us a send-off this morning, or was it yesterday morning -- some morning -- he gave us a send off, at Andrews Air Force Base. And talking about the importance of our visit, I am delighted to have a broad-based, bipartisan group of both Members of Congress and Governors. Not everybody has the same position on all the issues, which I think is healthy for us as we go into the next few days.

China has taken extraordinary steps to open this country and this economy, and is now preparing to join the World Trade Organization and become fully integrated into a rules-based global market place. We in the United States are deciding whether to use this opportunity to make our bilateral relationship as strong as it has ever been, by granting China permanent Normal Trade Relations.

I believe, and President Clinton believes, that this is an opportunity we can not let get away. Accompanying me on the trip are four members of the Congress who will be voting on the issue next month, as well as the Governor of North Dakota, and representatives from the White House, the U.S. Department of State, the United States Department of Commerce -- and I also saw my friend Bob Novick with the United States Trade Representative Office who is here actually negotiating on certain matters as we speak.

We are here to educate ourselves to better understand China -- its economy, its society, and its people. And we hope to come away with a greater appreciation for all that the U.S. and China can achieve together through good will and cooperation in the 21st century.

As the Secretary of Agriculture, I am naturally interested in trade and agricultural goods between the U.S. and China. And since PNTR is at its core about commerce, that will be a focus of this trip. We will meet tomorrow afternoon with Chinese entrepreneurs. And I will speak with local American Chamber of Commerce members here in Beijing, in Shanghai and in Hong Kong. We will also see U.S.-China commercial cooperation in action. In Shanghai, there will be a visit to a soybean crushing plant that uses American soybeans to make livestock feed and oils for Chinese consumers. And later this week, we will go to a facility where American produce is processed for distribution in Hong Kong.

But we intend to explore the entire U.S.-China relationship. By strengthening our trade ties, we also build greater understanding between our respective governments and our respective people. And to weaken commercial ties would slow the pace of change in China on important issues like religious freedom and labor rights, which we believe in very strongly in our country.

Here in Beijing, we will have a bilateral meeting with top officials in the Chinese government, where we will cover several aspects of the U.S.-China relationship. Later in the trip, we will talk with religious leaders and human rights leaders. And we will also focus on the importance of the peaceful resolution of differences between Taiwan and Mainland China.

I am confident that this trip will serve an important educational function. Not just for those of us traveling, but for the American people and the Chinese people. I believe that it will further reinforce the notion that permanent normal trade relations will help China advance social, political and economic reform, as well as the economic, foreign policy, and national security interests of the United States.

So saying that, I would like my colleagues to make comments at their pleasure. Right now, I first call on the Governor of North Dakota, Governor Schafer.

GOVERNOR EDWARD T. SCHAFER: Thank you, Mr. Secretary. This is my pleasure to be here. Thank you for the hospitality and invitation to be on this trip. I really have two roles that I am playing here with this group. One is the Governor of North Dakota. The other is representing 44 governors who have signed a letter of support for the PNTR.

Governors support PNTR because they know the importance of trade. Each of our states has various products, services that we rely on, export services to generate the economy. In North Dakota we are an agricultural state. We ship out wheat, beef, sunflowers, and potatoes -- all of those are currently being imported into China today.

We also manufacture and export agricultural equipment, which is a big part of our efforts to mechanize the world. One such item that you might notice around here are the small bobcat "skidsters" loaders, the little white vehicle with the scoop buckets on the front. You see them all over the world and every one of them is made in Gwenner (sp?), North Dakota.

So I am pleased to be here to represent the Governors and my agricultural state in recognizing the importance of trade relationships. And I am here strongly supporting permanent normal trade relations with China. And I hope to get some information to gather thoughts on some of the concerns as we interact with Congress, to try to get this legislation passed. Thank you.

GLICKMAN: Next I will call on my former colleague and classmate, Congressman Norm Dicks of Washington State. A senior Democrat of Congress and together we made a trip six years ago to China.

CONGRESSMAN NORM DICKS: Thank you, Mr. Secretary. I am very delighted to be here today on this trip. This is my fifth visit to China, and I am a strong supporter of Permanent Normal Trade Relations with China. I am glad my colleagues are here. Some of my colleagues are undecided, and I really want to tell you how much I appreciate the fact that they have come here to talk to American business leaders, to talk to Chinese leaders, and to see this situation first hand. I think that's the way to make a good decision.

Being from Washington State, probably the most trade dependent state in the United States, this is not a difficult decision for me. We want to sell our Boeing airplanes here in China. This is a huge potential market of about a $120 billion over the next twenty years and we recognize that if they not buying Boeing planes, they are buying Airbus, our friendly competitor. So, China has choices. And we want to see China's entry into the WTO. I think having them in a rules-based organization -- this country, that is what they want to do. I think it is very positive for the rest of the world.

I also think that from an agricultural perspective -- people don't think of Washington State as an agricultural state, but we sell a lot of winter wheat, apples -- a lot of agricultural products. We also have software -- Microsoft -- so this is a huge potential market for our state.

And I have served in the Congress for twenty-four years and made many trips not only to China, but also to the Soviet Union, before the end of the Cold War. And I remember even when we had very difficult negotiations on arms controls issues, we still talked about human rights. We still talked about worker rights. We talked about all of these issues. And I believe that it is still possible to have a strong engagement with China on economic matters without giving up one's concern about these other issues, including religious freedom.

And so I believe that there is a way to move ahead with our very positive economic relationship, and work to see that China improves in other areas. And I am sure that China will have observations about the United States, as in the old days, the Soviet Union had about us.

So, I am glad to be here today with my colleagues. We are looking forward to this trip and I hope that we will be able to take back information from all of our business leaders in this country. U.S. business leaders here will give the Congress the real story about how important this agreement is in turns of bringing down tariffs and also opening up the opportunity for businesses to fully engage here. I think this is a very, very positive agreement from the United States' perspective. And I hope that my colleagues will study it closely so that our country can benefit by this agreement.

CONGRESSMAN RUBEN HINOJOSA FROM TEXAS: Thank you Mr. Secretary. It is a pleasure to be here in Beijing, and it is my first trip to China. I am honored to accompany Secretary Dan Glickman and our Governor. I also am privileged to be with outstanding Congressmen who have a great deal of interest in this important issue that we are going to vote on five weeks.

I happen to be an undecided Congressman. I am a second term Congressman from Texas, a state that has a great deal of exports in cattle and grain. Both cotton and sorghum, and corn and other types of grain. We also are very strong in information technology, both in the production of hardware and software. And I see this trip as one where I can learn a great deal about the opportunities of trade with China.

I also have a strong feeling and a very strong commitment to try to improve human rights. I have a great deal of interest in the working class, trying to make sure that women and minorities have an opportunity to get an education. Something that apparently here in China is something that women do not seem to have the same opportunities as the men.

I believe that there are great opportunities in technology exchange, and that we can find ways in which to make this a win-win situation. I look forward to listening to members of the American Chamber -- Am Cham. I am looking forward to listening to the Chinese entrepreneurs who have started up their own business -- and, in some cases, in partnership with Americans. I couldn't help but notice on my ride from the airport to the hotel that there are American franchise names like McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken and Pizza Hut and others. [(background) Starbucks.] Yes, and Starbucks coffee. All of this tells me that there are definitely opportunities here in China.

And so I look forward to the week that we are going to spend here and that I can learn as much as I can learn to take back to the United States. Thank you.

SECRETARY GLICKMAN: Thank you very much. Congressman Greg Walden from Portland, Oregon of the Pacific Northwest.

CONGRESSMAN GREG WALDEN: Well thank you very much, Mr. Secretary. I too am honored to be with you and the delegation on this trip. As you have heard from my colleague from Washington State, trade in the Northwest is extraordinarily important. And you know I come from a state that has the world headquarters of the people who makes this shoe, [holding shoe] Nike.

Now the airbag in here is still made in Oregon. Even though the shoe -- this one particularly -- was put together in Guangzhou. But there are 5,000 jobs at the Nike headquarters in Oregon. High paying jobs. They are for PNTR because they understand their jobs are tied to opening this market and other markets.

For the first time in twenty-six years, the Chinese were in Oregon and bought northwest white wheat. Why did they do that? They did it because of the agreement this administration has worked out, which put them under the same international sanitary and phytosanitary standards the rest of the world follows. So, no longer do we debate over smut -- TCK smut which precluded the purchase of wheat for many years.

So finally they are buying wheat and that is important. And in my own district, Kodak makes a dry image copier for processing X-rays in that capacity. Their tariff will go down 50 percent in China when we pass PNTR. That means jobs for people in my district. Or they will compete against others around the world that will sell a similar product and have the lower tariff, and we won't.

This is extraordinarily important. I was here a year ago and a lot has happened. The Falun Gong movement, and the detentions, the bombing of the Embassy. Some things have been good, some things have been bad in our relationship. But clearly we need to move forward. We need to move forward in the Congress. We need to pass PNTR and engage China in commerce. And when you engage in commerce you bring about change. When you bring about change, you bring about freedom.

It is a long process but it is an achievable one. And that's why I am here again. It is to continue that long-term relationship, and to do what I can to make sure that the House passes PNTR.

SECRETARY GLICKMAN: We have Congressman Gregory Meeks from the Great State of New York. MEEKS: Thank you, Mr. Secretary. I too am delighted to be here this -- I don't know whether to say this morning or this evening -- whatever it is. And to travel with this distinguished delegation. I am here for the first time, and I am undecided on how I will vote on PNTR. But I am here to learn. I am here to get a feel of several things. Number one and first and most important, you know the world is so small now. That I am concerned for the people, and want to do what is best for the people of the United States. As well as for the people of China.

I am concerned about trade. I understand the importance of trade. JFK Airport, if PNTR is passed, as I understand, will be able to export many more things to China and therefore and thereby create jobs. However, there are other concerns. There is a concern, whether short term or long term, with reference to job gains or loss in America. I am concerned about that. I am concerned about human rights. I don't think that we can just bypass situations where human rights, workers' rights, are violated. I think that when you say that you are concerned about people, you have got to be concerned about the everyday man and woman.

There are issues that I want to get a feel of. I want to get a feel, also, as to what kind of relationship China would like to have with the United States of America. For I am really concerned about not just today, but fifty years from today. I know as a child growing up in New York City in the mid- and early 60's that I didn't like the fact that I had to hide under a desk for shelter drills.

I want to make sure that my children's children feel safe in this much smaller world in which we now live. And as I look at the situation now with regards to China and the United States, I think that that could be critical point that we are in now. When I think about children and talking about children, child labor is something that I am very concerned about. We must make sure that children, because the children of tomorrow will have access to technology like never before. And so I am concerned about technology in China, because I think that does in fact spread democracy and better spread the relationships between countries, because the younger people, this is my hope, are wiser than some of the older people -- as far as bringing us together as a world.

So I intend to just talk to everyday men and women. I look forward to that opportunity [and] to at times where possible, to break away from this delegation, so that I can talk to everyday people to get a feel from them as to what they see and how they view America. I intend on talking to my American businessmen and women to find out how they are making a difference in the standard of living of the Chinese people. And then I intend on going back home, and talking to a number of my labor organizations and labor unions and get their viewpoint.

And then I believe that I will be able to make the best decision, in the end, for the benefit of the people [of] America and the people [of] China. And I think this trip will be enormously helpful in me reaching that end. Thank you.

Q: Ed Lococo from Bloomberg. I think that we are all glad that you folks are here to make this trip to China. One important question, though, is that originally there had been a much bigger trip planned. There was talk of two trips; one led by Secretary Daley, and one by yourself. Talk of about maybe 25 people on each trip. Obviously, Secretary Daley's visit has been canceled. The size of this delegation is much smaller than anything we had expected. Is this a sign of the power of the opposition against PNTR? Does this bode badly for the prospects for PNTR? I am very curious to hear your thoughts about that. And as a secondary question, I just wonder if you thought there was any prospects for China to make any new commitments for purchases of agricultural commodities while you are here? The purchases to date have been fairly small. You mentioned the wheat, but then it was only single a penamax-size (sp?) cargo. Any sign of more commitments from China? Thank you.

SECRETARY GLICKMAN: Well, let me make a few comments on that. Obviously, it would be nice if there were further announcements while we are here. We would encourage that, and we will wait and see what will happen while we are here. Our USTR team is here negotiating certain additional things right now, which if those could be resolved positively, I think that would be very helpful for us as well. And so I don't want to minimize, however, the purchases China has made of wheat and citrus and other things. But I do believe they are only a first step and they need to be followed up by significantly increased purchases, and other trading arrangements, and other commodities as well. So we don't view that as a be all and end all, and it would be a mistake for the Chinese to believe that we would be satisfied with that.

If I might just talk for a quick second about the trip. I don't believe the nature and size of the trips have really anything to do with any factors other than it is in the midst of a two-week Easter break. Having served in Congress for eighteen years, I find most members do not like to take a week away from their children and their spouses, their families and their congressional districts, to go on a trip that is in all candor rather a Spartan trip -- although this is a very lovely hotel and we will be staying in very nice places. But when you don't take your family, and most members of Congress spend their lives travelling to and from their congressional districts, it is difficult to get people to commit for this length of time. And we were fortunate to be able to end up with a trip that is bipartisan and is composed of people who are both for PNTR as well as people who are undecided. And we are a representative group who I think can then go back to meet with the President, and meet with other members of Congress, and talk to them about what we have seen.

The President himself gave us a send off this morning at Andrews Air Force Base. And I think that is a testament to his commitment to see this thing resolved positively for the United States.

I would just make one other point; this is an election year in the United States for all 435 members of Congress. So there are a lot of other competing demands here and I don't want to minimize the difficulty of this vote. This is going to be a very tough vote in the House of Representatives. But I don't think attendance here is what you need to look at. It is the vote counts and they are being watched very closely.

Q: Joe McDonald, AP. Several of you mentioned the issue of religious freedom, and when Secretary Daley was here before, he mentioned that human rights and religious freedom would be a big issue in trying to decided this matter. Just today, as you were arriving, the Chinese police arrested more than 100 members of the Falun Gong group on Tiananmen Square. I wonder what sort of atmosphere you think this creates for your visit? And whether you think this will hurt the prospects of passing this in the House?

SECRETARY GLICKMAN: Let me say the human rights issue is a very significant and important issue in our country. It has been that way for generations. It was that way when we were dealing with the Russians and we dealt with Jackson-Vanik. It was the kind of the threshold issue of giving Moscow most favored nation status over the years and how they dealt with the Jackson-Vanik law. And it forms the basis of how we deal with many other countries in the world. And so one cannot minimize the United States' focus on human rights issues -- even as we try to expand and open trade and commercial relations in this country. Perhaps -- I just heard about the incident when we came in on the airport -- perhaps the Ambassador may want to comment on that?

AMBASSADOR PRUEHER: I think that what went on today in Tiananmen with the detention of the Falun Gong practitioners is something that we watch very carefully. Secretary Glickman has talked about the importance of human rights standards. Which of course is a particular core value in our country, in the United States. And certainly the climate would be more enriching were international human rights standards upheld always. Our nation disagrees strongly with the detention of anybody who is peacefully practicing or expressing their political or spiritual beliefs, and we call on all countries and all nations, including China, to observe these international standards.

SECRETARY GLICKMAN: I think it's a great example of the point I was trying to make earlier. We can come here and we can talk about trade and engagement but at the same time we have to make a point about human rights problems and other issues of that nature and we shouldn't be shy about doing it.

CONGRESSMAN MEEKS: For me, it raises an initial red flag, you know, getting off the bus and just recently hearing about, it raises an initial red flag of which I intend to further ask questions and pursue, as we meet with Chinese governmental officials, in an attempt to try to understand what is going on here and how deep it still exists. I understand that China has accepted some of the rules and regulations as set in Geneva with references to human rights. And when those violations are obvious, I intend on questioning them on that. And I'd like to get their response and feed that back to some of my other members who happen to be undecided in Washington.

GOVERNOR SHAFER: ....[indistinct] for the Chinese political leaders. As governor, I know there are a lot people out there who have a difference of opinions from myself. Different philosophies disagree with things that I may do or say or give direction for, and they feel very free to stand up and tell me that all the time.

And yet I know the same is with the members of Congress that are with us as well. And yet we are still there and still get elected, as we still represent people and I think that we can show our system works -- that people can be representative and their voices can be heard and it still works. So I think we are a good example of how that can work. And it is one that we want to carry while we are here in China as well.

Q: Doug Palmer, Reuters. Mr. Secretary, the Administration and obviously many farm groups feel that approval of PNTR would be a great boost to U.S. agriculture. I just wonder from the Administration's point of view how heavily you are counting on farm state lawmakers to help win PNTR and how solid do you think the support among farm state lawmakers is?

SECRETARY GLICKMAN: Since we view that the agreements that Charlene Barshefsky made with her Chinese counterpart on agricultural are some of the best that have ever been made by the United States Government on a bilateral basis period, we have been trying to sell the benefits of this bilateral agreement to American agriculture. I think that by and large they have been very supportive. It is true, however, in the U.S. there is more skepticism about free and open trade today, even in agricultural circles than there might have been 15, 20 or 25 years ago. And some of the skepticism may be healthy, but some of it is not in conformance to what the facts are. And our job is to continue to get those facts out.

For example, China has agreed to lower their tariff on most U.S. agricultural products to levels below that which many industrialized nations in the world charge us on meats, grains, other items, processed foods, other kinds of things. That is, by and large, the U.S. on agriculture is getting a better deal from China than it will be getting from many other of it allies around the world. Now that is something [about which] we have to make sure the message gets out. We also have to make people understand that this agreement is not the same as previous trade agreements.

A lot of people have felt the NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement, had mixed positive and negative benefits; mixed benefits depending on what part of the country you are from, and what items where sold in the U.S. But this is not NAFTA. This is a trade agreement that by and large, in agriculture, China opens its markets to our products. Our markets are already open to Chinese products.

China sells us about $70 billion worth of things a year. We sell them about $14 billion worth of things. So by doing this agreement, China opens its markets to our agricultural products. By and large, it is a good deal for farmers and ranchers who are having very serious economic times now. And our trick is to get the information and the facts out so that the people understand it, and the significance of this, and what could happen theoretically if this agreement were turned down, and what negative impacts there could be for American agriculture. And those are things we are discussing right now. So I think it looks pretty good. But it is not unanimous. I think that is clear.

Q: AFP. I am just wondering if you are a betting man and what do you think the chances are of passing this legislation?.

GLICKMAN: The only thing I bet on is gin rummy and I usually lose to this guy right here. My judgement is that it will pass, but I think it will be a close vote. But I think it will pass.

AFP: I just want to follow that up. I am just wondering about the issue of Taiwan. Obviously being here in Beijing, it is something that is raised quite a lot. I am just wondering how important do you think the politicians in the U.S., who will be voting on this issue, view the present rather tense state of relations between China and Taiwan?

SECRETARY GLICKMAN: I think that is a concern. I note, though, that Taiwan wants China to be voted into the WTO. So this is an important relationship. And between the United States and China. And we also have made it very clear that in any dispute with Taiwan, we expect it to be resolved peacefully. And that's U.S. policy and I hope with the Ambassador's great skill we can keep that moving in the appropriate direction.

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