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July 27, 1999

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT

                              THE WHITE HOUSE
                       Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release                      July 27, 1999
                        STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT
     I welcome the strong bipartisan vote in the House today to extend
normal trade relations (NTR) with China.
     Extending NTR is the right way to advance America?s interests. Our
exports to China have nearly tripled over the past decade to $14.2 billion.
NTR boosts not only America?s economy, but also those of Hong Kong and
Taiwan, as well as China.
     NTR promotes China?s integration into the global economy, which in
turn strengthens market-oriented reformers within China. Expanding trade
can help bring greater social change to China by spreading the tools,
contacts and ideas that promote freedom.  Maintaining NTR helps us to move
China toward global norms on human rights, weapons of mass destruction,
crime and drugs, and the environment, as well as on trade.  China clearly
has far to go in all these areas, and we will continue to address our
differences directly and protect our national interests.
     I remain determined to pursue an agreement for China to join the WTO
on viable commercial terms -- not as a favor to China but as a means of
opening and reforming China?s markets and holding China to the rules of the
global trading system. I remain ready to work closely with Congress to
secure permanent NTR status for China in the context of a commercially
strong WTO agreement.
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