DATE=3/9/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=CHINA - US TRADE (L-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-260006
BYLINE=STEPHANIE MANN
DATELINE=BEIJING
INTERNET=YES
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: China has welcomed President Clinton's
announcement asking Congress to approve permanent
favorable trade privileges for Beijing. V-O-A's
Stephanie Mann reports the Chinese Foreign Ministry
spokesman said U-S commercial interests will suffer if
Congress does not approve the measure.
TEXT: Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao says the
United States should grant China permanent normal
trade relations once and for all and with no
conditions attached. He told the regular news
briefing China appreciates the efforts by the U-S
administration and American businesses to try to get
the issue resolved.
Wednesday, President Clinton sent legislation to
Congress that would end the annual debate and vote on
China's trade status and grant it the same low tariff
access to U-S markets accorded most other countries.
The bill faces a difficult battle. The
administration, business and most Republicans support
it, while many Democrats, with the backing of labor
unions, oppose it.
As part of a bilateral trade agreement reached last
year, Washington promised to grant permanent normal
trade relations - formerly called most favored nation
status - in exchange for China's promise to cut import
barriers to U-S goods and services.
The trade deal is an important part of China's
application to join the World Trade Organization. But
American labor unions want the U-S government to
renegotiate the trade agreement and require China to
improve its human rights and labor standards before it
is allowed to join the W-T-O.
The Chinese spokesman said the conditions that the
United States has imposed on China's trade status in
the past have seriously affected economic and trade
relations between Washington and Beijing. Speaking
through a translator, Mr. Zhu urged the United States
to resolve the matter by ending the annual review and
approving permanent normal trade relations.
// ZHU / TRANSLATOR ACT //
If this issue cannot be thoroughly resolved, it will
be detrimental to the interests of U-S enterprises in
China. And it is also not conducive to U-S
competition with the other W-T-O members in the
Chinese market.
// END ACT //
Mr. Zhu also said U-S rejection of permanent favorable
trade terms for China would undermine the basis for
implementing the bilateral trade agreement. (Signed)
NEB/SMN/FC
09-Mar-2000 05:06 AM EDT (09-Mar-2000 1006 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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