Kay Bailey Hutchison: “this is a very important vote. It is a very important issue. I have been a strong supporter of opening relations with…”

“this is a very important vote. It is a very important issue. I have been a strong supporter of opening relations with China, of opening trade with China, not because China has been the kind of ally we would all hope it would be but because I have believed that having open trade relations with them would improve the relationship; that if we had some leverage in a trade relationship, we would be able to ask them and have some leverage for them to have fair trade, to recognize intellectual property rights, and to become a part of the community of nations. But it seems to me we are saying we want free and open trade and nothing else should matter; that if we have free and open trade, we should not stand up for our national security interests. That is what I have been hearing on the floor now for 2 days. If we are going to engage China on issues such as North Korea and weapons proliferation to Iran and Iraq, as was proposed by the Senator from Delaware, how can we engage them if we say, by the vote today, it is not really a big issue to us, that weapons proliferation takes second place to trade? For me, national security doesn't take second place to anything. I think it should be the position of the Senate that we are responsible for the national security of our country and that that is our most important responsibility.”