Elijah Lewis: “Mr. Chairman, I am opposed to granting permanent normal trade relations to China. We cannot reward China with PNTR while…”

“Mr. Chairman, I am opposed to granting permanent normal trade relations to China. We cannot reward China with PNTR while she continues to violate the human rights of her people. We are sending the wrong message to the rest of the world. The spirit of history is upon us, and we must be guided by the spirit of history to do the right thing. Granting PNTR allows China to continue the terrible abuses without any consequences. I ask my colleagues, how much are we prepared to pay? Are we prepared to sell our souls? Are we prepared to betray our conscience? Are we prepared to deny our shared values of freedom, justice, and democracy? Where is the freedom of speech? Where is the freedom of worship? Where is the freedom of assembly? Where is the freedom to organize? Where is the freedom to protest? Where is the freedom? It is not in China. Can we forget Tiananmen Square, 11 years ago, June 4, 1989? We cannot forget, and we must not forget. Some of us have worked too long and too hard for civil rights and human rights here at home and other places in the world not to stand up for human rights in China. Mr. Chairman, I believe in trade, free and fair trade. But I do not believe in trade at any price. And the price of granting PNTR for China is much too high. It is a price we should not be prepared to pay.”