Dana Rohrabacher: “in May 1994, President Clinton de- linked human rights considerations from our trading relationship with China. He told…”

“in May 1994, President Clinton de- linked human rights considerations from our trading relationship with China. He told us then that an improving economy in China would be accompanied by an improvement in Beijing's respect for human rights and would make China a more responsible member of the family of nations. Today, China's human rights record is worse, and its growing economy has served to underwrite an enormous military expansion and to enrich the Chinese Communist party elite. President Clinton was wrong to de-link our China trade policy from human rights just as George Bush was wrong in not cutting off MFN after the Tianamen Square massacre. If we had stood up for our principles then, we would likely be re-extending MFN to a freer and less threatening China today. This vote is not a litmus test on free trade. I believe in free trade among the free people of the world. This is a litmus test about American jobs and human rights. China has 6 to 8 million people in over 100,000 labor camps making products for export. I am a free trader, but slave trade isn't free trade. And how can be expect American workers to compete with Chinese slaves? We are losing over $30 billion in our bilateral trading relationship with Beijing in spite of billions of dollars in loans to China sponsored by the World Bank and our own Export-Import Bank. Over $4.3 billion of international loans and guarantees went to China in 1995. $800 million in loans and guarantees came from the U.S.…”