19 May 2000
Text: PNTR Opponent Decries Child Labor, Slave Labor in China
(Rep. Sherrod Brown May 18 in House of Representatives) (1070) The United States shouldn't forge closer trade ties with a country that violates the rights of children and women, says Representative Sherrod Brown (Democrat of Ohio). According to the opponent of Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status for China, that's what the Beijing regime does. Brown, in a May 18 speech in the House of Representatives decried the worker abuses, including rape and torture, as well as the religious persecution carried out by China's communist government. "This behavior is not punished by the Chinese Communist Party, but it is condoned and encouraged by this Chinese government," Brown said. "Even if we do not consider the $70 billion trade deficit or the threat of jobs going overseas to China," Brown told fellow lawmakers, "we should deny China permanent normal trade relations based on these human rights violations done and allowed by the Chinese government." Many of the victims of what Brown termed "government oppression" there "are young children." Two of the greatest concerns of Americans regarding trade with China, the Ohio Democrat said, "are child labor and working conditions for all Chinese, especially young women." Following is the text of Brown's statement from the Congressional Record: (begin text) TOLERANCE OF TORTURE (House of Representatives -- May 18, 2000) Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, if a bill were to come before this Congress asking for the legalization of rape, torture, murder and religious persecution, it would be voted down without question. If our President were to lower the working age to 15 years old and call for 14 hour workdays, 6 days a week, the people of the United States would be outraged. Why then do so many in this Congress seek to allow trade practices with a country that allows and encourages such atrocities? In the People's Republic of China, these types of events occur every day. This behavior is not punished by the Chinese Communist Party, but it is condoned and encouraged by this Chinese government. Although the government of the United States obviously has no authority to stop directly this abusive behavior, we do have the ability to check on the human rights practices of the Chinese through our current trade agreement. The U.S. State Department reports on human rights violations in China, `Beijing's poor human rights record deteriorated markedly throughout the year, as the government intensified efforts to suppress dissent.' Even with our investigations into the human rights issue, China has not changed. Even if we do not consider the $70 billion trade deficit or the threat of jobs going overseas to China, we should deny China permanent normal trade relations based on these human rights violations done and allowed by the Chinese government. Many of the victims of government oppression in China are young children. Two of the main concerns of many U.S. citizens regarding trade with China are child labor and working conditions for all Chinese, especially young women. Chinese are used as cheap labor, often forced to work in awful conditions for abnormally long hours. They are often punished cruelly. Many are tortured brutally, some are raped by their employers. The Chinese government acknowledges the use of child labor, and while the exact number of child workers is unknown, the number of minors out of school and in the workforce exceeds by far 10 million young people. Companies looking for cheap labor attract apprehensive students with promises of money and success. These children are forced to work in cramped spaces for long hours. Fourteen-year-olds often faint from exhaustion and heat, often working 6 days a week, 16 hours a day. Not only do the Chinese practice and allow child labor, slave labor is also common in labor camps throughout China. Chinese citizens are kidnapped, they are forced to work, often without wages or food. These workers, often very young, often 40 of them or more, are forced to stay in makeshift houses of less than 20 square meters, with leaking roofs and rat infestation. If the U.S. allows China to obtain PNTR, then we are accepting the outrageous treatment of laborers in China. Can we in good conscience allow this to happen in this Congress? One of the founding principles of the United States is freedom from religious persecution. Under communist rule in China, all religious activity must be approved and registered by the government. Religious sects not approved by the government include the Falun Gong and Tibetan Buddhism. The Chinese government has fought hard to restrict both these sects. According to the Students for a Free Tibet Organization, 6,000 Tibetan monasteries and shrines have been destroyed, 600 Tibetan Buddhists are presently in jail for practicing their religion. The Chinese government banned the Falun Gong in July and put tens of thousands of its members in psychiatric hospitals and in prisons for long, long terms. Prisoners are endlessly harassed, beaten and tortured. Often the Chinese government uses hospital and prisons to silence the spiritual leaders of their country. Not only are the spiritual leaders detained and imprisoned, but so are political party leaders. China continues to harass Taiwan with threats of bombing, simply because they held free elections and are now a Democratic Nation. The Chinese government attempts to squelch freedom and democracy, the two basic ideals on which our country was founded. Why are we willing to throw away these ideals because of corporate greed by U.S. CEOs? If the U.S. allows China to have permanent normal trade relations, we are condoning China's outrageous denial of human rights. We would not ignore this type of criminal behavior in our own country; we should not ignore these atrocities in China. We cannot turn our backs on the Chinese people simply because they do not inhabit our shores. We should expect no less from the countries with whom we trade than we do from ourselves. If we want to have a global economy, we should have a global morality. Can we allow the trafficking of women and children in the name of western corporate profit? Can we condone discrimination and abuse against women and minorities for profit? Mr. Speaker, free trade with China will prove to be very costly for our values, for democracy and for our Nation. (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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