Jon L. Christensen: “Mr. Speaker, it has been the fourth year I have had an opportunity to work on this issue, and for the last three I have…”

“Mr. Speaker, it has been the fourth year I have had an opportunity to work on this issue, and for the last three I have always voted with my colleagues on the right here in favor of renewing MFN. Last year I gave a statement that said that we are going to give it one more year to see if things change. But, my colleagues, things have not changed. Nothing has changed. Nothing has changed in the trade imbalance. The trade imbalance has grown. We have heard today that it is at $60 billion. Over a billion dollars every week we grow the trade deficit with China. Has the issue of human rights gotten any better? No. We have had testimony this past week and this past month in the various committees, talking about the various human rights violations, various forced abortion issues, the slave labor camps, the harvesting of organs, the repercussions with dissidents, the taking away of free speech, whatever free speech there is. Nothing has gotten better. But yet each and every year we continue to renew this. But the number is growing. Has anything gotten better in the area of national security? No. Our good friend the gentleman from California (Mr. Duke Cunningham) stated that in Long Beach, California, the port has been given over to the communists. The Straits of Taiwan, the continued persecution of the Taiwanese people. The taking away of liberties, of religious faith, whether of Muslim, whether a Tibetan monk, whether it is a Christian.”