18 May 2000
Text: Amendment to H.R. 4444 on China PNTR Import Surge Protection
(China imports to be monitored) (4840) Representative Bill Archer (Republican of Texas), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, introduced an Amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 4444 May 17 in the markup for the legislation that would grant China permanent Normal Trade Relations (NTR) status. The Amendment still has the United States President determining that China should no longer be subject to Chapter 1 of Title IV of the Trade Act of 1974, and proclaiming "the extension of non-discriminatory treatment (normal trade relations treatment) to the products of that country." It would also amend the Trade Act of 1974 to provide relief from market disruption caused by Chinese imports into the United States. The Amendment passed the committee by a vote of 34-4. Following is the text of the Amendment: (begin text) AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE TO H.R.4444 OFFERED BY MR. ARCHER Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the following: SECTION 1. TERMINATION OF APPLICATION OF TITLE IV OF THE TRADE ACT OF 1974 TO THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA. (a) PRESIDENTIAL DETERMINATIONS AND EXTENSION OF NONDISCRIMINATORY TREATMENT. --Notwithstanding any provision of chapter 1 of title IV of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2431 et seq.), as designated by section 3 (a)(2) of this Act, the President may -- (1) determine that such chapter should no longer apply to the People's Republic of China; and (2) after making a determination under paragraph (1) with respect to the People's Republic of China, proclaim the extension of nondiscriminatory treatment (normal trade relations treatment) to the products of that country. (b) ACCESSION OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA TO THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION. -- Prior to making the determination provided for in subsection (a)(1) and pursuant to the provisions of section 122 of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (19 U.S.C. 3532), the President shall transmit a report to Congress certifying that the terms and conditions for the accession of the People's Republic of China to the World Trade Organization are at least equivalent to those agreed between the United States and the People's Republic of China on November 15, 1999. SEC. 2. EFFECTIVE DATE. (a) EFFECTIVE DATE OF NONDISCRIMINATORY TREATMENT. -- The extension of nondiscriminatory treatment pursuant to section 1(a)(1) shall be effective no earlier than the effective date of the accession of the People's Republic of China to the World Trade Organization. (b) TERMINATION OF APPLICABILITY OF TITLE IV. -- On and after the effective date under subsection (a) of the extension of nondiscriminatory treatment to the products of the People's Republic of China, chapter 1 of title IV of the Trade Act of 1974 (as designated by section 3(a)(2) of this Act) shall cease to apply to that country. SEC. 3. RELIEF FROM MARKET DISRUPTION. (a) IN GENERAL. -- Title IV of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2431 et seq.) is amended -- (1) in the title heading, by striking "Currently"; (2) by inserting before section 401 the following: "Chapter 1 -- Trade Relations With Certain Countries"; and (3) by adding at the end the following new chapter: "Chapter 2 -- Relief From Market Disruption to Industries and Diversion of Trade to the United States Market "SEC. 421. ACTION TO ADDRESS MARKET DISRUPTION. "(a) PRESIDENTIAL ACTION. -- If a product of the People's Republic of China is being imported into the United States in such increased quantities or under such conditions as to cause or threaten to cause market disruption to the domestic producers of a like or directly competitive product, the President shall, in accordance with the provisions of this section, proclaim increased duties or other import restrictions with respect to such product, to the extent and for such period as the President considers necessary to prevent or remedy the market disruption. "(b) INITIATION OF AN INVESTIGATION. -- (l) Upon the filing of a petition by an entity described in section 202(a) of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2252(a)), upon the request of the President or the United States Trade Representative (in this subtitle referred to as the 'Trade Representative'), upon resolution of either the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives, or the Committee on Finance of the Senate (in this subtitle referred to as the 'Committees') or on its own motion, the United States International Trade Commission (in this subtitle referred to as the 'Commission') shall promptly make an investigation to determine whether products of the People's Republic of China are being imported into the United States in such increased quantities or under such conditions as to cause or threaten to cause market disruption to the domestic producers of like or directly competitive products. "(2) The limitations on investigations set forth in section 202(h)(1) of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2252(h)(1)) shall apply to investigations conducted under this section. "(3) The provisions of subsections (a)(8) and (i) of section 202 of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2252(a)(8) and (i)), relating to treatment of confidential business information, shall apply to investigations conducted under this section. "(4) Whenever a petition is filed, or a request or resolution is received, under this subsection, the Commission shall transmit a copy thereof to the President, the Trade Representative, the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives, and the Committee of Finance of the Senate, except that in the case of confidential business information, the copy may include only non-confidential summaries of such information. "(5) The Commission shall publish notice of the commencement of any proceeding under this subsection in the Federal Register and shall, within a reasonable time thereafter, hold public hearings at which the Commission shall afford interested parties an opportunity to be present, to present evidence, to respond to the presentations of other parties, and otherwise to be heard. "(C) MARKET DISRUPTION. -- (1) For purposes of this section, market disruption exists whenever imports of an article like or directly competitive with an article produced by a domestic industry are increasing rapidly, either absolutely or relatively, so as to be a significant cause of material injury, or threat of material injury, to the domestic industry. "(2) For purposes of paragraph (1), the term 'significant cause' refers to a cause which contributes significantly to the material injury of the domestic industry, but need not be equal to or greater than any other cause. "(d) FACTORS IN DETERMINATION. -- In determining whether market disruption exists, the Commission shall consider objective factors, including -- "(1) the volume of imports of the product which is the subject of the investigation; "(2) the effect of imports of such product on prices in the United States for like or directly competitive articles; and "(3) the effect of imports of such product on the domestic industry producing like or directly competitive articles. The presence or absence of any factor under paragraph (1), (2), or (3) is not necessari1v dispositive of whether market disruption exists. "(e) TIME FOR COMMISSION DETERMINATIONS. -- The Commission shall make and transmit to the President and the Trade Representative its determination under subsection (b)(1) at the earliest practicable time, but in no case later than 60 days (or 90 days in the case of a petition requesting relief under subsection (i)) after the date on which the petition is filed, the request or resolution is received, or the motion is adopted, under subsection (b). If the Commissioners voting are equally divided with respect to its determination, then the determination agreed upon by either group of Commissioners may be considered by the President and the Trade Representative as the determination of the Commission. "(f) RECOMMENDATIONS OF COMMISSION ON PROPOSED REMEDIES. -- If the Commission makes an affirmative determination under subsection (b), or a determination which the President or the Trade Representative may consider as affirmative under subsection (e), the Commission shall propose the amount of increase in, or imposition of, any duty or other import restrictions necessary to prevent or remedy the market disruption. Only those members of the Commission who agreed to the affirmative determination under subsection (b) are eligible to vote on the proposed action to prevent or remedy market disruption. Members of the Commission who did not agree to the affirmative determination may submit, in the report required under subsection (g), separate views regarding what action, if any, should be taken to prevent or remedy market disruption. "(g) RFPORT BY COMMISSION. -- (1) Not later than 20 days after a determination under subsection (b) is made, the Commission shall submit a report to the President and the Trade Representative. "(2) The Commission shall include in the report required under paragraph (1) the following: "(A) The determination made under subsection (b) and an explanation of the basis for the determination. "(B) If the determination under subsection (b) is affirmative, or may be considered by the President or the Trade Representative as affirmative under subsection (e), the recommendations of the Commission on proposed remedies under Subsection (f) and an explanation of the basis for each recommendation. "(C) Any dissenting or separate views by members of the Commission regarding the determination and any recommendation referred to in subparagraphs (A) and (B). "(D) A description of -- "(i) the short- and long-term effects that implementation of the action recommended under subsection (f) is likely to have on the petitioning domestic industry, on other domestic industries, and on consumers; and "(ii) the short- and long-term effects of not taking the recommended action on the petitioning domestic industry, its workers, and the communities where production facilities of such industry are located, and on other domestic industries. "(3) The Commission, after submitting a report to the President under paragraph (1), shall promptly make it available to the public (but shall not include confidential business information) and cause a summary thereof to be published in the Federal Register. "(h) OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT VIEWS AND EVIDENCE ON PROPOSED MEASURE AND RECOMMENDATION TO THE PRESIDENT. -- (1) Within 20 days after receipt of the Commission's report under subsection (g) (or 15 days in the case of an affirmative preliminary determination under subsection (i)(1)(B)), the Trade Representative shall publish in the Federal Register notice of any measure proposed by the Trade Representative to be taken pursuant to subsection (a) and of the opportunity, including a public hearing, if requested, for importers, exporters, and other interested parties to submit their views and evidence on the appropriateness of the proposed measure and whether it would be in the public interest. "(2) Within 55 days after receipt of the report under subsection (g) (or 35 days in the case of an affirmative preliminary determination under subsection (i)(1)(B)), the Trade Representative, taking into account the views and evidence received under paragraph (1) on the measure proposed by the Trade Representative, shall make a recommendation to the President concerning what action, if any, to take to prevent or remedy the market disruption. "(i) CRITICAL CIRCUMSTANCES. -- (1) When a petition filed under subsection (b) alleges that critical circumstances exist and requests that provisional relief be provided under this subsection with respect to the product identified in the petition, the Commission shall, not later than 45 days after the petition containing the request is filed -- "(A) determine whether delay in taking action under this section would cause damage to the relevant domestic industry which would be difficult to repair; and "(B) if the determination under subparagraph (A) is affirmative, make a preliminary determination of whether imports of the product which is the subject of the investigation have caused or threatened to cause market disruption. If the Commissioners voting are equally divided with respect to either of its determinations, then the determination agreed upon by either group of Commissioners may be considered by the President and the Trade Representative as the determination of the Commission. "(2) On the date on which the Commission completes its determinations under paragraph (1), the Commission shall transmit a report on the determinations to the President and the Trade Representative, including the reasons for its determinations. If the determinations under Paragraph (1) are affirmative, or may be considered by the President or the Trade Representative as affirmative under paragraph (1), the Commission shall include in its report its recommendations on proposed provisional measures to be taken to prevent or remedy the market disruption. Only those members of the Commission who agreed to the affirmative determinations under paragraph (1) are eligible to vote on the proposed provisional measures to prevent or remedy market disruption. Members of the Commission who did not agree to the affirmative determinations may submit, in the report, dissenting or separate views regarding the determination and any recommendation of provisional measures referred to in this paragraph. "(3) If the determinations under paragraph (1) are affirmative, or may be considered by the President or the Trade Representative as affirmative under paragraph (1), the Trade Representative shall, within 10 days after receipt of the Commission's report, determine the amount or extent of provisional relief that is necessary to prevent or remedy the market disruption and shall provide a recommendation to the President on what provisional measures, if any, to take. "(4)(A) The President shall determine whether to provide provisional relief and proclaim such relief, if any, within 10 days after receipt of the recommendation from the Trade Representative. "(B) Such relief may take the form of -- "(i) the imposition of or increase in any duty; "(ii) any modification, or imposition of any quantitative restriction on the importation of an article into the United States; or "(iii) any combination of actions under clauses (i) and (ii). "(C) Any provisional action proclaimed by the President pursuant to a determination of critical circumstances shall remain in effect not more than 200 days. "(D) Provisional relief shall cease to apply upon the effective date of relief proclaimed under subsection (a), upon a decision by the President not to provide such relief, or upon a negative determination by the Commission under subsection (b). "(J) AGREEMENTS WITH THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA. -- (1) The Trade Representative is authorized to enter into agreements for the People's Republic of China to take such action as necessary to prevent or remedy market disruption, and should seek to conclude such agreements before the expiration of the 60-day consultation period provided for under the product-specific safeguard provision of the Protocol of Accession of the People's Republic of China to the WTO, which shall commence not later than 5 days, after the Trade Representative receives an affirmative determination provided for in subsection (e) or a determination which the Trade Representative considers to be an affirmative determination pursuant to subsection (e). "(2) If no agreement is reached with the People's Republic of China pursuant to consultations under paragraph (1), or if the President determines than an agreement reached pursuant to such consultations is not preventing or remedying the market disruption at issue, the President shall provide import relief in accordance with subsection (a). "(k) STANDARD FOR PRESIDENTIAL ACTION -- (1) Within 15 days after receipt of a recommendation from the Trade Representative under subsection (h) on the appropriate action, if any, to take to prevent or remedy the market disruption, the President shall provide import relief for such industry pursuant to subsection (a), unless the President determines that provision of such relief is not in the national economic interest of the United States or, in extraordinary cases, that the taking of action pursuant to subsection (a) would cause serious harm to the national security of the United States. "(2) The President may determine under paragraph (1) that providing import relief is not in the national economic interest of the United States only if the President finds that the taking of such action would have an adverse impact on the United States economy clearly greater than the benefits of such action. "(1) PUBLICATION OF DECISION AND REPORTS -- (1) The President's decision, including the reasons therefor and the scope and duration of any action taken, shall be published in the Federal Register. "(2) The Commission shall promptly make public any report transmitted under this section, but shall not make public any information which the Commission determines to be confidential, and shall publish notice of such report in the Federal Register. "(m) EFFECTIVE DATE OF RELIEF. -- Import relief under this section shall take effect not later than 15 days after the President's determination to provide such relief. "(n) MODIFICATIONS OF RELIEF. -- (1) At any time after the end of the 6-month period beginning on the date on which relief under subsection (m) first takes effect, the President may request that the Commission provide a report on the probable effect of the modification, reduction, or termination of the relief provided on the relevant industry. The Commission shall transmit such report to the President within 60 days of the request. "(2) The President may, after receiving a report from the Commission under paragraph (1), take such action to modify, reduce, or terminate relief that the President determines is necessary to continue to prevent or remedy the market disruption at issue. "(3) Upon the granting of relief under subsection (k), the Commission shall collect such data as is necessary to allow it to respond rapidly to a request by the President under paragraph (1). "(o) EXTENSION OF ACTION. (1) Upon request of the President, or upon petition on behalf of the industry concerned filed with the Commission not earlier than the date which is 9 months, and not later than the date which is 6 months, before the date any relief provided under subsection (k) is to terminate, the Commission shall investigate to determine whether action under this section continues to be necessary to prevent or remedy market disruption. "(2) The Commission shall publish notice of the commencement of any proceeding under this subsection in the Federal Register and shall, within a reasonable time thereafter, hold a public hearing at which the Commission shall afford interested parties and consumers an opportunity to be present, to present evidence, and to respond to the presentations of other parties and consumers, and otherwise to be heard. "(3) The Commission shall transmit to the President a report on its investigation and determination under this subsection not later than 60 days before the action under subsection (m) is to terminate. "(4) The President, after receiving an affirmative determination from the Commission under paragraph (3), may extend the effective period of any action under this section if the President determines that the action continues to be necessary to prevent or remedy the market disruption. "SEC. 422. ACTION IN RESPONSE TO TRADE DIVERSION. "(a) MONITORING BY CUSTOMS SERVICE. -- In any case in which a WTO member other than the United States requests consultations with the People's Republic of China under the product-specific safeguard provision of the Protocol of Accession of the People's Republic of China to the World Trade Organization, the Trade Representative shall inform the United States Customs Service, which shall monitor imports into the United States of those products of Chinese origin that are the subject of the consultation request. Data from such monitoring shall promptly be made available to the Commission upon request by the Commission. "(b) INITIATION OF INVESTIGATION. -- (1) Upon the filing of a petition by an entity described in section 202 (a) of the Trade Act of 1974, upon the request of the President or the Trade Representative, upon resolution of either of the Committees, or on its own motion, the Commission shall promptly make an investigation to determine whether an action described in subsection (c) has caused, or threatens to cause, a significant diversion of trade into the domestic market in the United States. "(2) The Commission shall publish notice of the commencement of any proceeding under this subsection in the Federal Register and shall, within a reasonable time thereafter, hold public hearings at which the Commission shall afford interested parties an opportunity to be present, to present evidence, to respond to the presentations of other parties, and otherwise to be heard. "(3) The provisions of subsections (a)(8) and (i) of section 202 of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2252(a)(8) and (i)), relating to treatment of confidential business information, shall apply to investigations conducted under this section. "(c) ACTIONS DESCRIBED. -- An action is described in this subsection if it is an action -- "(1) by the People's Republic' of China to prevent or remedy market disruption in a WTO member other than the United States; "(2) by a WTO member other than the United States to withdraw concessions under the WTO Agreement or otherwise to limit imports to prevent or remedy market disruption; "(3) by a WTO member other than the United States to apply a provisional safeguard within the meaning of the product-specific safeguard provision of the Protocol of Accession of the People's Republic of China to the WTO; or "(4) any combination of actions described in paragraphs (1) through (3). "(d) BASIS FOR DETERMINATION OF SIGNIFICANT DIVERSION. -- (1) In determining whether significant diversion or the threat thereof exists for purposes of this section, the Commission shall take into account, to the extent such evidence is reasonably available -- "(A) the monitoring conducted under subsection (a); "(B) the actual or imminent increase in United States market share held by such imports from the People's Republic of China; "(C) the actual or imminent increase in volume of such imports into the United States; "(D) the nature and extent of the action taken or proposed by the WTO member concerned; "(E) the extent of exports from the People's Republic of China to that WTO member and to the United States; "(F) the actual or imminent changes in exports to that WTO member due to the action taken or proposed; "(G) the actual or imminent diversion of exports from the People's Republic of China to countries other than the United States; "(H) cyclical or seasonal trends in import volumes into the United States of the products at issue; and "(I) conditions of demand and supply in the United States market for the products at issue. The presence or absence of any factor under any of subparagraphs (A) through (I) is not necessarily dispositive of whether a significant diversion of trade or the threat thereof exists. "(2) For purposes of making its determination, the Commission shall examine changes in imports into the United States from the People's Republic of China since the time that the "WTO member announced the commencement of the investigation that led to a request for consultations described in subsection (a). "(3) If more than 1 action by a WTO member or WTO members against a particular product is identified in the petition, request, or resolution under subsection (b) or during the investigation, the Commission may cumulatively assess the actual or likely effects of such actions jointly in determining whether a significant diversion of trade exists. "(e) COMMISSION DETERMINATION; AGREEMENT AUTHORITY. -- (1) The Commission shall make and transmit to the President and the Trade Representative its determination under subsection (b) at the earliest practicable time, but in no case later than 45 days after the date on which the petition is filed, the request or resolution is received, or the motion is adopted, under subsection (b). If the Commissioners voting are equally divided with respect to its determination, then the determination agreed upon by either group of Commissioners may be considered by the President and the Trade Representative as the determination of the Commission "(2) The Trade Representative is authorized to enter into agreements for the People's Republic of China to take such action as necessary to prevent or remedy significant trade diversion into the domestic market in the United States, and should seek to conclude such agreements before the expiration of the 60-day consultation period provided for under the product-specific safeguard provision of the Protocol of Accession of the People's Republic of China to the WTO, which shall commence not later than 5 days after the Trade Representative receives an affirmative determination provided for in paragraph (1) or a determination which the trade Representative considers to be an affirmative determination pursuant to paragraph (1). "(3) REPORT BY COMMISSION -- "(A) Not later than 10 days after a determination under subsection (b), is made, the Commission shall submit a report to the President and the Trade Representative. "(B) The Commission shall include in the report required under subparagraph (A) the following: "(i) The determination made under subsection (b) and an explanation of the basis for the determination. "(ii) If the determination under subsection (b) is affirmative, or may be considered by the President or the Trade Representative as affirmative under subsection (e)(1), the recommendations of the Commission on increased tariffs or other import restrictions to be imposed to prevent or remedy the trade diversion or threat thereof, and explanations of the bases for such recommendations. Only those members of the Commission who agreed to the affirmative determination under subsection (b) are eligible to vote on the proposed action to prevent or remedy the trade diversion or threat thereof. "(iii) Any dissenting or separate views by members of the Commission regarding the determination and any recommendation referred to in clauses (i) and (ii). "(iv) A description of -- "(I) the short- and long-term effects that implementation of the action recommended under clause (ii) is likely to have on the petitioning domestic industry, on other domestic industries, and on consumers, and "(II) the short- and long-term effects of not taking the recommended action on the petitioning domestic industry, its workers and the communities where production facilities of such industry are located, and on other domestic industries. "(C) The Commission, after submitting a report to the President under subparagraph (A), shall promptly, make it available to the public (with the exception of confidential business information) and cause a summary thereof to be published in the Federal Register. "(f) PUBLIC COMMENT. -- If consultations fail to lead to an agreement with the People's Republic of China or the WTO member concerned within 60 days, the Trade Representative shall promptly publish notice in the Federal Register of any proposed action to prevent or remedy the trade diversion, and provide an opportunity for interested persons to present views and evidence on whether the proposed action is in the public interest. "(g) RECOMMENDATIION TO THE PRESIDENT. -- Within 20 days after the end of consultations pursuant to subsection (e), the Trade Representative shall make a recommendation to the President on what action, if any, should be taken to prevent or remedy the trade diversion or threat thereof. "(h) PRESIDENTIAL ACTION. -- Within 20 days after receipt of the recommendation from the Trade Representative, the President shall determine what action to take to prevent or remedy the trade diversion or threat thereof. "(i) DURATION OF ACTION. -- Action taken under subsection (h) shall be terminated not later than 30 days after expiration of the action taken by the WTO member or members involved against imports from the People's Republic of China. "(j) Review Of Circumstances. -- (1) The Commission shall review the continued need for action taken under subsection (h) if the WTO member or members involved notify the Committee on Safeguards of the WTO of any modification in the action taken by them against the People's Republic of China pursuant to consultation referred to in subsection (a). The Commission shall, not later than 60 days after such notification, determine whether a significant diversion of trade continues to exist and report its determination to the President. The President shall determine, within 15 days after receiving the Commission's report, whether to modify, withdraw, or keep in place the action taken under subsection (h). "SEC. 423, REGULATIONS; TERMINATION OF PROVISION. "(a) TO CARRY OUT RESTRICTIONS AND MONITORING. -- The President shall by regulation provide for the efficient and fair administration of any restriction proclaimed pursuant to the subtitle and to provide for effective monitoring of imports under section 422 (a). "(b) To CARRY OUT AGREEMENTS. -- To carry out an agreement concluded pursuant to consultations under section 421(j) or 422(e)(2), the President is authorized to prescribe regulations governing the entry or withdrawal from warehouse of articles covered by such agreement. "(c) TERMINATION DATE. -- This subtitle and any regulations issued under this subtitle shall cease to be effective 12 years after the date of entry into force of the Protocol of Accession of the People's Republic of China to the WTO." "(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT. -- The table on contents of the Trade Act of 1974 is amended -- (1) in the item relating to title IV, by striking "CURRENTLY"; (2) by inserting before the item relating to section 401 the following: "CHAPTER 1 -- TRADE RELATIONS WITH CERTAIN COUNTRIES"; and (3) by adding after the item relating to section 409 the following: "CHAPTER 2 -- RELIEF FROM MARKET DISRUPTION TO INDUSTRIES AND DIVERSION OF TRADE TO THE UNITED STATES MARKET "Sec. 421. Action to address market disruption. "Sec. 422. Action in response to trade diversion. "Sec. 423. Regulations; termination of provision." SEC. 4. AMENDMENT TO SECTION 123 OF THE TRADE ACT OF 1974 -- COMPENSATION AUTHORITY Section 123(a)(1) of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2133(a)(1)) is amended by inserting after "title III" the following; ", or under chapter 2 of title IV of the Trade Act of 1974". (end text) (Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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