Benjamin Gilman: “I rise today as a coauthor of the amendment offered by my good friend, the gentleman from South Carolina, the…”

“I rise today as a coauthor of the amendment offered by my good friend, the gentleman from South Carolina, the distinguished Chairman of the Committee on National Security, Mr. Spence. I hope that this amendment would be unanimously adopted by the House. It simply sets forth the sense of the Congress on an issue of vital importance to America's national security--the transfer of missile technology to China. To that end, this amendment calls on the President to indefinitely suspend the export of U.S. satellites to China, including those satellites licensed in February of 1998 as part of the CHINA-SAT-8 program. This amendment also expresses the sense of the Congress that during the Presidential summit meeting to be held in China next month, the United States should not support or enter into any agreements with China which would further expand cooperation with China. I am particularly concerned about the Administration's stated intent to support China's membership in the Missile Technology control Regime. China continues to provide missile technology and components to both Pakistan and Iran. Since 1991 the United States has sanctioned China twice for violations of U.S. missile proliferation laws. I do not comprehend the logic, given China's record, of offering them MTCR membership. Perhaps it is for the reasons explicitly stated in a National Security Council memorandum. Regrettably these are precisely the wrong reasons.”