Bill Clinton: “Yes. I don't think it's fair. For example, if you look at our policy toward Burma which, unlike China, had a…”

“Yes. I don't think it's fair. For example, if you look at our policy toward Burma which, unlike China, had a democratically elected government and reversed it, and represents the most severe abuses of political and civil rights that we've dealt with recently, in terms of our actions, we've been for sanctions against Burma, but we haven't repealed MFN. And when you look at China, we still have Tiananmen Square sanctions on China that we haven't gotten rid of. We have given up a lot of business in China, clearly--and they've made it clear that we have--by continuing to press our human rights concerns in the human rights forum. What we don't believe would be fruitful is to withdraw normal trading status from China--something we have with virtually every country in the world--in a way that would estrange us further from them, prevent us from working together on problems like North Korea, weapons proliferation, and other issues, and endanger the ability of the United States to be a partner with China in the 21st century. That's what we don't believe. We have paid quite a price from time to time for our insistence on advancing human rights. I just don't think taking normal trading status away from them is much of a way to influence them over the long run. I think it's a mistake. Wolf [Wolf Blitzer, CNN]. Medicare”