Cliff Stearns: “my colleagues, for 15 years now, we have given MFN status to the Chinese. And rather than getting better, the situation…”

“my colleagues, for 15 years now, we have given MFN status to the Chinese. And rather than getting better, the situation is worsening: we now have a $30 billion trade imbalance, human rights abuses are on the rise, Chinese companies continue to steal America's intellectual property, military spending is increasing, and anti-American sentiment is rising throughout China. Not only do we tolerate such behavior from China, but by granting MFN status--by voting against this resolution--we actually condone the behavior of the Chinese. We tell them to continue the systematic killing of their children and the state-sponsored abortions; we tell them that America condones communism, hostility, and oppression; we support and fund their Army through our trade imbalance; and we ignore the theft of millions of American dollars in intellectual property. We standby and we do nothing, and our apathy is just as bad as our involvement; it is, in simple terms, the American seal of approval. My colleagues, we have the opportunity today to send a message to the world that America will not support a rogue nation, that we will not condone terrorism, oppression, and intolerance. Today, we have the opportunity to affect a change in China's policies, and to tell the rest of the world: America allies itself with only those nations who advance and encourage fairness, the nations who foster democracy, and those nations who embrace freedom.”