Sylvester Turner: “if we deny PNTR to China, businesses, workers, farmers and ranchers in my district in East Texas and across the Nation…”

“if we deny PNTR to China, businesses, workers, farmers and ranchers in my district in East Texas and across the Nation will lose the benefits of a trade agreement that, on its face, is very favorable to the United States. Unlike the NAFTA agreement in which the United States had to eliminate its own trade barriers, China will reduce its tariffs on American goods, while we make no similar concessions. Rejecting PNTR means the benefits of trade and job growth will go to other nations who open the door to trade, while we slam it shut. As a Member of the Committee on Armed Services, I believe granting PNTR to China is in America's national security interests. While dealing with China as a rising economic and military power will not be easy, we should not make the road more difficult than it has to be. If we reject PNTR, we will be sending a powerful signal to China and the entire world that we are walking away from a constructive relationship with China. On the other hand, engagement will further our nuclear nonproliferation efforts, encourage the Chinese to embrace democracy and the rule of law, and further the expansion of human rights and freedom for the Chinese people. Progress in these areas will not be uninterrupted, but history and common sense and human relationships teach us that engagement is the best hope for world peace for our children and grandchildren.”