James Barcia: “I believe that the best hope of encouraging democracy in the world's most populated country is by maintaining normal…”

“I believe that the best hope of encouraging democracy in the world's most populated country is by maintaining normal trade relations and exposing the Chinese people to American people and culture. Therefore, I have reluctantly voted in support of renewing most-favored nation status for the People's Republic of China. Removing MFN from China will not address our trade deficit while we allow other countries in this world to undercut our companies by ignoring labor, health and safety and environmental standards, and offering starvation wages. Precipitating the expulsion of our companies from China will only open a vacuum hole into which our competitors from Europe and Asia will gladly step. This will hurt, not help, American workers. That said, Mr. Speaker, I am very disappointed that the continued good faith and patience of the American people are rewarded by China's unequal and nonreciprocal treatment of our products, China's pirating of intellectual property, the proliferation of dangerous weapons of mass destruction and, of course, the Chinese dictatorship's abysmal human rights record.”