Max Baucus: “this is a short, simple amendment dealing with our China policy. It has the support of the State Department; business…”

“this is a short, simple amendment dealing with our China policy. It has the support of the State Department; business; and Chinese dissidents. I hope it will also get the support of Congress. The amendment, very simply, allows the Asian Environmental Partnership to operate in China. It does not add any spending to the bill, and does not change the basics of the program in any way. So I hope this will not be controversial. Let me begin with a review of what the Asian Environmental Partnership does. AEP is a small export promotion program created during the Bush Administration. It offers technical help with environmental policy, and brings foreign governments together with American producers of environmental services and technologies. In several Southeast Asia countries, AEP has helped us achieve environmental goals and to boost American exports to a region where we suffer large trade deficits. But the Asian Environmental Partnership does not now operate in China. That is because it receives some funds from the Agency for International Development, which is barred from operating in China. It is very clear, of course, that we do not need a foreign aid program for China. China has a lot of money and is quite capable of supporting itself. But it is just as clear that we need a sound approach to environmental problems in China.”