USTR Barshefsky Sept. 19 Statement on PNTR for China
(Barshefsky praises Senate passage of PNTR for China)
Following is the text:
(begin text)
USTR Barshefsky Praises Senate Passage of PNTR for China
United States Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky today issued the following statement regarding the Senate's 83-15
vote to approve Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) for China:
"Today's vote will stand as an historic landmark in U.S.-China relations and marks the most significant step forward
since the opening of China in 1972. When it enters the WTO, China will more fully join the community of nations governed
by the rule of law. Granting PNTR for China not only provides tremendous economic opportunities for U.S. workers,
farmers and businesses, it is also the best way to promote reform in China and stability in the region.
"China's WTO accession agreement is the capstone of the nearly 300 trade agreements negotiated by the Clinton
Administration. It embodies the President's use of trade policy, coupled with broader economic and foreign policies, as
a means to promote prosperity at home and peace abroad."
Barshefsky thanked Senators Lott, Daschle, Moynihan, Roth, Baucus and Grassley for their leadership and assistance in
passing PNTR for China.
(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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Text: Albright's Sept. 19 Statement on PNTR for China
(Secretary of State "delighted" with Senate approval of PNTR)
Following is the text:
(begin text)
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE Office of the Spokesman September 19, 2000
STATEMENT BY SECRETARY OF STATE MADELEINE K. ALBRIGHT
CHINA -- SENATE VOTE ON PERMANENT NORMAL TRADE RELATIONS
I am delighted that the Senate has voted to extend Permanent Normal Trade Relations to China. This historic decision
will provide new opportunities for American businesses, farmers and workers in a dynamic and important market and, by
opening China further to the export of goods from America, help us sustain the economic growth we have experienced
during the past eight years.
In addition, I commend the bipartisan debate on this bill in the Senate and in the House. Congress made what I believe
was the right decision for America after a spirited and thoughtful review of our broad national interest in enacting
PNTR for China. China's accession to the WTO and the extension of PNTR to China will serve the long-term interest of all
Americans and a China that is more fully part of the international system. It will help lay the groundwork for expanding
the benefits to the United States of a constructive bilateral relationship in the years to come.
Now that the Senate and the House have spoken, we need to continue our efforts in Geneva to complete, as soon as
possible, the final working party documents. Only after this important step will the President be in a position to
determine whether to certify that the protocol of accession is "at least equivalent" to the bilateral agreement we
negotiated in November 1999.
Finally, I would like to thank all of those inside the Administration and outside for their effort to secure passage of
PNTR. Thanks to the President's extraordinary personal leadership, we have taken a step that I believe history will
judge to have been instrumental to building a more prosperous, peaceful, and open future in the Asian Pacific region.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site:
http://usinfo.state.gov)