Sherrod Brown: “here in Congress, we say we stand together and in our commitment toward the spread of democratic ideals and improvement…”

“here in Congress, we say we stand together and in our commitment toward the spread of democratic ideals and improvement of the human rights. These last couple weeks I am not so sure. During the weeks approaching the vote for Permanent Normal Trade Relations for the People's Republic of China, corporate CEOs flocked to the Hill to lobby for increase unrestricted trade with China. They talk about access to 1.2 billion potential consumers in China. What they do not say is that their real interest is in 1.2 billion Chinese workers, workers whom they pay wage on the level of slave labor. These CEOs will tell us, increase trade with China will allow human rights to improve. Democracy will flourish with increased free trade as we engage with China. But as these CEOs speak, their companies systematically violate the most fundamental of human and worker rights. In the new report ``Made in China, The Role of U.S. Companies in Denying Human and Worker Rights,'' released by Charles Kernaghan and the National Labor Committee, we see evidence of American corporations exploiting the horrible conditions of human rights in the People's Republic of China. Companies such as Huffy and Nike and Wal-Mart are contracting with Chinese sweatshops to export to the United States, often with the assistance of repressive and corrupt local government authorities. 1,800 Huffy bicycle workers have lost their jobs in Ohio as Huffy shut down its last three remaining U.S.…”