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

Text: Senator Helms Release on China Trade Status Vote
(Promises "a robust Senate debate about China")

U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jesse Helms issued a press release May 24 stating that, although the House of Representatives had voted in favor of normalizing trade with China, he did "not intend to allow the Senate to simply rubber-stamp the President's plan to reward the Chinese Communists in Beijing with permanent most favored nation trade [Normal Trade Relations] status."

Helms said the Senate would hold a "robust" debate about China's record on human rights, weapons proliferation, labor practices, and nuclear threats to the United States and Taiwan.

"In the end, China's tyrants may -- or may not -- get the [normalized trade] package Mr. Clinton has prepared for them," Helms concluded.

United States Senate
Committee on Foreign Relations
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 24, 2000
HELMS VOWS SENATE FIGHT ON CHINA PMFN

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jesse Helms issued the following statement today:

"The House of Representatives has narrowly voted to approve Permanent MFN status for Communist China. But before the communist leaders in Beijing, and their allies in the White House, start popping the champagne corks, they must be reminded: The debate now comes to the Senate.

"I don't particularly relish raining on their parade, but I feel obliged to make clear that I do not intend to allow the Senate to simply rubber-stamp the President's plan to reward the Chinese Communists in Beijing with permanent most favored nation trade status.

"We will have a robust Senate debate about China. We will discuss China's horrendous labor practices, including the use of prison slave labor; we will discuss China's brutal suppression of religious freedom; we will discuss China's ongoing crackdown on peaceful political dissent; will discuss China's proliferation of weapons of mass destruction to rogue nations; and one more thing, the Senate is going to discuss China's escalating threats to invade democratic Taiwan and the threats from Beijing to use nuclear weapons against American cities if the U.S. dares to defend our allies in Taipei.

"We are going to have a debate, Mr. Clinton. And, we are going to have votes -- perhaps uncomfortable votes -- on a range of issues relating to China.

"In the end, China's tyrants may -- or may not -- get the package Mr. Clinton has prepared for them.

"But they should be under no illusions that the U.S. Senate will in any way, shape or form endorse the brutal Chinese regime, or that the Senate will somehow permanently insulate the communist leaders of China from the consequences of their brutal behavior toward their own people."

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)