Nancy Pelosi: “on June 3 President Clinton requested a special waiver to grant most-favored-nation trade status for China. Since the…”

“on June 3 President Clinton requested a special waiver to grant most-favored-nation trade status for China. Since the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989, I have worked with my colleagues to provide alternatives to denial of most-favored-nation status, including conditional renewal or targeting revocation. However, this year I will be voting to deny MFN to China and to deny the President's special request, because of the increased violations of our bilateral trade agreements, because of the increased repression in China and Tibet, and because of China's proliferation of weapons, chemical, nuclear, and advanced missile technology, to unsafeguarded countries including Pakistan and Iran. Mr. Speaker, while I know there is not a large enough vote in the Congress to override a Presidential veto, and the President would veto a motion to deny MFN, I do believe that a vote to support the status quo in United States-China relations is difficult to defend for several reasons. In the area of trade, China does not play by the rules. Despite the fact that over one-third of China's exports come into the United States and are sold in the United States markets, Chinese high-tariff and nontariff barriers limit access to the Chinese market for United States goods and services and hold our exports to only 2 percent of our exports into China--a third of China's exports allowed into the United States, only 2 percent of ours allowed into China.”