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

Text: Helms in July 18 Committee Hearing on PNTR Status for China
(PNTR not in U.S. national security interest, Chairman says)
China's failure to find solutions to the problems of proliferation, Taiwan and the Spratly Islands, despite years of renewed normal trade relations, demonstrates that granting Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status to China will not serve U.S. security interests, according to Senator Jesse Helms, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
"As members of the U.S. Senate, we have no higher responsibility than the protection of the security interests of our country, and we will be remiss if we stand idly by as this legislation is enacted amidst a dream of increased exports," Helms said July 18 in his opening statements to the first of two Foreign Relations Committee hearings on the implications of granting China PNTR.
Following is the text of Senator Helms' opening statement, as prepared for delivery:
(begin text)

OPENING STATEMENT
SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS
CHAIRMAN JESSE HELMS
Giving Permanent Normal Trade Relations Status to Communist China:
National Security Implications
July 18, 2000

MR. HELMS. This, the first of two consecutive days of hearings by the Foreign Relations Committee, will address proposed legislation to bestow "Permanent Normal Trade Relations" upon Communist China.
This morning's hearing will be based on a discussion of the foreign policy and national security implications of China PNTR, tomorrow we will examine the human rights, labor, trade and economic implications.
We welcome this excellent panel of witnesses, of course, and I have a few observations to offer in my opening remarks.
The national security implications of giving Permanent Normal Trade Relations to China directs us forthwith to the nub of the matter. As members of the U.S. Senate, we have no higher responsibility than the protection of the security interests of our country, and we will be remiss if we stand idly by as this legislation is enacted amidst a dream of increased exports.
Whether Permanent Normal Trade Relations with Communist China will lead to a boom in exports for America is an open question -- I happen to believe it will not. But what we are obliged to consider is whether granting Permanent Normal Trade Relations to China will-or will not--serve the national security interests of the United States. There is convincing evidence that it will not.
Will PNTR lead to a moderation of China's dangerous proliferation of weapons to its fellow criminal regimes around the world? According to the intelligence community, despite years of normal trade relations with China, Beijing's proliferation of these weapons continues unbridled.
Will PNTR induce China to back off from its increasingly belligerent threats toward Taiwan? Will China pull back its missiles aimed at Taiwan's throat? Despite years of normal trade with China, Beijing's belligerence towards Taiwan has grown worse and worse.
Will Permanent Normal Trade Relations cause China to work with its neighbors toward a constructive solution to the Spratly Islands problem, rather than continue its current policy of unilateral land grabs? Again, despite years of normal trade with China, Beijing's behavior in this area has not improved one iota.
These are questions that matter. And given that China's behavior on all of these fronts has worsened over the past 20 years of normal trade relations, are not the answers to these questions a cacophony of NO, NO, NO?
It is regrettable that many in this town have deluded themselves into believing that a trade deal with China will somehow transform that Communist dictatorship into a normal government that behaves itself. But most disturbing are those who want to prevent Congress from even addressing these national security questions during the PNTR debate, for fear that it will complicate what amounts to a single-minded, dollar-driven crusade to make certain this trade deal is approved in the Senate.
We're not going to let them get away with that.
These questions will be addressed before the Senate casts its final votes on whether or not to continue to grant Communist China's dictators permanent normal trade relations.
But first, Senator Biden .... (end text)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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