Posted on 12/29/2001 12:15:26 AM PST by Enemy Of The State
U.S. grants China permanent normal trade status By SCOTT LINDLAW - The Associated Press CRAWFORD, Texas -- President Bush granted China permanent normal trade status Thursday, ending a quarter-century policy of using access to U.S. markets as an annual enticement to the Chinese to expand political and economic freedoms. The president's decision will end yearly battles in Congress that have been waged since 1980 and that sometimes divided the Democratic Party during the Clinton years. The decision was set up by China's admission last month to the World Trade Organization. Bush called the trade proclamation the "final step in normalizing U.S.-China trade relations" and said it would open up the vast Chinese markets to billions of dollars in American goods. The new trade status will take effect Jan. 1, Bush said in the announcement, which was released in Crawford, Texas, where he is vacationing. Bush's proclamation formally removed China from having to adhere to the 1974 Jackson-Vanik Amendment to the Trade Act of 1974. The amendment, initially aimed at the former Soviet Union's restrictions against Jewish emigration, withholds normal trade relations with communist states that restrict emigration. Since 1980, China has enjoyed temporary normal trade relations with the United States under annual presidential waivers of the law. But each waiver has prompted debates in Congress over China's record on human rights and weapons proliferation. The last debate occurred in July, when the House voted 259-169 to approve Bush's waiver this year, the last that will be necessary. The annual congressional battle pitted American business and its Republican allies against big labor and its Democratic supporters. President Bill Clinton, at odds with many in his own party, started the process of moving China toward permanent trade status before he left office. Congress last year granted the permanent status to China contingent upon its entry into the World Trade Organization. Its application was formally accepted at the organization's annual meeting last month in the United Arab Emirates. The annual struggle also inflamed tensions with China each year and prompted worries in that country every time it arose. China and the United States reached an agreement, as part of China's WTO entry, that will lower China's tariffs on U.S. goods and open up its service sector to American companies. China's tariffs on U.S.-made goods are to fall from an overall average of 25 percent to 9 percent by 2005. Duties on America's primary farm products are to drop from 31 percent to 14 percent. China has an $80 billion trade surplus with the United States. Bush has long supported trade with Beijing, even during the standoff over a U.S. spy plane that collided with a Chinese jet fighter and made an emergency landing on Chinese territory early this year. In asking Congress for a temporary extension in June, Bush argued that normal relations would benefit the American economy and promote an "economically open, politically stable and secure China." Trade with China helps American farmers and American business, Bush said. Last year, he said, U.S. farmers exported goods to China and Hong Kong worth more than $3 billion, and American businesses increased exports to China by 24 percent.
Date: 12/27/01 22:15
Quitcher winin. Dubya knows best. As for those slave laborers, etc. whatchabitchinabout. Walmart has socks on sale today from China. No sense not sending cash to a country and not granting MFN status when those industrious guys and gals can make 6 pair of socks and sell them to me for 2 bucks. Makes 'em disposable. Jiang said it in a speech today. All China wants, and all the Chinese people want, is peace.
Peace in our time. Peace on our terms. Peace of your country. Peace means you sell us more technology, let us steal more of your secrets to take back Taiwan, then that other pesky Chinese nation Japan, then maybe San Francisco...lots of Chinese there.
If Clinton was bad because he sold out to the Chinese, and Bush is supposed to be good because he sold out to the Chinese...oh well, I'm sure one of the Bushleaguers will explain.
HILLARY CLINTON -U. S. SENATOR- IS A KEY DEFENDENT IN LORAL SHAREHOLERS CASE ie. CHINAGATE
This whole PNTR thing did not originate with Bush or Clinton. It goes way on back to the Kissinger era.
Basically what this whole thing is about is... Back in the 70's when trade started the US required annual reviews of China trade based on all kinds of stuff. They extended them a package, then told the Chinese 'we are going to review it every single year'.
With the thing now, the package has not changed. Not the one we gave them at least. The only thing we did is end those annual reviews. It did not change any of the framework at all as far as I know.
I think we did that because it is required for China's WTO entry. Why is WTO important? It is not that it will give China more access to the US, but it will give the US more access to China. Supposedly it will make trade more reciprocal. At least thats the theory.
Actually, we made PNTR dependent on China joining the WTO, not the other way around. But you've got the essentials right. However, Bush is the one who made it permaaent, i.e., not subject to annual review.
Dragon's Fury - Breath of Fire - A story of the coming Third World War with Red China
thanks for the link to your book. Ive checked out the site and have been considering purchasing one of the D/L's. I dont suppose you offer any hard copies yet do you?
Regards!
EOTS
Here's what it looks like:
... and here's the order form from the site for the same:
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