Byron Dorgan: “several months ago, the House of Representatives voted 237 to 197 to grant Permanent Normal Trade Relations to China.…”

“several months ago, the House of Representatives voted 237 to 197 to grant Permanent Normal Trade Relations to China. Before passing that legislation, however, the House added provisions that will require this and future Administrations to step up efforts to enforce China's compliance with its trade agreements and with internationally-recognized human rights norms. Today the Senate will vote on whether we too will approve granting PNTR to China. That vote is on the limited question of whether to make permanent the favorable trade treatment that the United States has afforded to China one year at a time for the past 20 years--just that, and only that. The only difference in this upcoming vote and past votes on normal trade relations for China is: Shall normal trade relations be permanent, as they are with virtually every one of our other trading partners? I have voted for normal trade relations in the past because China is a country of 1.3 billion people that is certain to play an important role in our future. The question is, will that role be a positive or negative one? I happen to think that involvement with China is preferable to non-involvement. And I think on balance that the movement of China towards more freedom for its citizens and a market-based economy is much more likely to occur through normal trade relations than through estrangement.”