16 February 2000
Text: House Ways and Means Chairman on China Trade Relations
(Archer recommends permanent Normal Trade Relations status) (680) The United States should grant China permanent Normal Trade Relations (NTR), according to Bill Archer (Republican of Texas), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. "Extending permanent normal trade relations to China is good for America, because China will enter the world trading community with us or without us. If we don't take advantage of this unlimited opportunity, Germany, Japan, France and our other economic competitors will," Archer said in opening remarks at a February 16 House Ways and Means Committee hearing. "Although China's movement toward American ideals of freedom and democracy may have been sluggish in the past, they have made solid progress," he said. "Rejecting [the November 1999 trade agreement on China's accession to the World Trade Organization] and denying normal trade relations would mean severing ties that would take generations to repair. Trade has advanced China's economic reforms, and trade will help us advance America's most treasured export --individual liberty." Following is the text of Archer's statement, as prepared for delivery: (begin text) STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN BILL ARCHER (R-TX) COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS HEARING ON BILATERAL AGREEMENT WITH CHINA AND WTO FEBRUARY 16, 2000 Good morning. Last year, the United States concluded bilateral trade negotiations with China, and I would like to congratulate our Trade Representative, Ambassador Barshefsky, for her skill and tenacity in these negotiations. Today, Congress continues its very careful review of that agreement to make sure it helps American farmers, workers and consumers. From what I've seen so far, it appears that it does. In fact, a new study says that in the area of agriculture alone, trade with China will increase U.S. farm exports by over $2 billion a year, nearly tripling our current pace. Last year, trade with China directly supported over 200,000 jobs in the U.S., each paying on average 17% higher wages than non-trade related jobs. China is our fourth largest trading partner, our thirteenth largest export market, and the sixth largest export market for U.S. agricultural products. Lowering China's trade barriers further will create more jobs, more farm exports, and more economic growth for the U.S. The benefit of international trade is simple -- if we sell more American crops, computers, and cars to the world, Americans get better jobs, make more money and enjoy a higher quality of life. Trade with China also means more choices and lower prices for American consumers, which especially helps lower-income families. Once the American people and Congress have reviewed this agreement to make sure it's good for America, the U.S. should continue normal trade relations with China on a permanent basis. And let's be clear what "normal trade relations" really means. Only a handful of rogue nations do not receive this "normal" status such as: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, Laos, North Korea, Cuba, and Serbia Montenegro. Although China's movement toward American ideals of freedom and democracy may have been sluggish in the past, they have made solid progress. Rejecting this agreement and denying normal trade relations would mean severing ties that would take generations to repair. Trade has advanced China's economic reforms, and trade will help us advance America's most treasured export -- individual liberty. In summary, extending permanent normal trade relations to China is good for America, because China will enter the world trading community with us or without us. If we don't take advantage of this unlimited opportunity, Germany, Japan, France and our other economic competitors will. What's more, America only stands to gain from this agreement, because U.S. tariffs, trade laws, and other safeguards were kept totally in place -- all the concessions were from the Chinese. So I look forward to working with President Clinton, Vice President Gore and Members of both parties to move forward with normal trade with China when the time is right. (end text) (Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: usinfo.state.gov)
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