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Beijing: 78°F 26°C More US$ = 8.28 yuan More Hang Seng: 15314.07 (-1.69%) More Quote of the Day
This Day in History K'ang-hsi, fourth emperor of the Ch'ing dynasty, was born. Students demonstrated in China against the Versailles Peace Conference decision to hand Germany's possessions in Shantung Province to Japan. Known as the May Fourth Movement it led to the birth of the Chinese Communist Party.
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Dissidents, Labor Dismiss Clinton's Compliance Initiative On PNTR For China WASHINGTON, May 4, 2000 -- (Agence France Presse) Exiled Chinese dissidents and the United States' powerful labor alliance on Wednesday dismissed the White House's latest effort to win over critics of its trade deal with China. "I'm not impressed," said Richard Long, a Chinese dissident and founder of an independent e-mail service covering human rights and democracy in China. President Bill Clinton's administration, anxious to appease critics of granting Permanent Normal Trading Relations (PNTR) to China as a precursor to joining the World Trade Organization, on Wednesday unveiled an unprecedented five-point plan to monitor Beijing's compliance with the pact. At present, the U.S. Congress reviews China's trade status every year. Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers called the initiative "the most intensive enforcement and compliance effort ever mounted for a single trade agreement." But Long insisted enforcement would not be that simple. "It's not easy to implement it," he said, adding his fears that once in the world trade body, members would bend the rules to accommodate Beijing and its huge market. Dissidents and labor, which have presented formidable opposition to the PNTR legislation up for a vote the week of May 22, believe that granting China PNTR would wipe out any U.S. leverage over Beijing, particularly in the areas of human rights and labor practices. "It's not enough," AFL-CIO spokesperson Naomi Walker said of the initiative. The AFL-CIO is the main U.S. labor organization. "Even if they do comply with the trade provisions of the agreement, it still does not address in any way the human rights abuses, and that we give up any economic leverage if China continues to abuse its workers," she told AFP. The enforcement plan, outlined in remarks to the committee by Commerce Secretary William Daley, is part of an intensive administration lobbying drive to win congressional backing for the measure. Many U.S. lawmakers, including Democrats, have said they will vote against the measure exactly because they fear U.S. sway over China would disappear. Agreeing with labor and human rights groups, they have also charged that China has a poor record of compliance with previous commercial deals. "If we give China PNTR now ... If Communist China were to be certified as "normal" in its currently abnormal state, why should the government make further reforms?" added exiled dissident Wei Jingsheng. Last November, Beijing and Washington signed a trade deal providing sweeping market access for U.S. goods as a first step for China joining the World Trade Organization, but Beijing made it clear it wanted congressional approval of PNTR first. The vote will be tough as the support of 30 to 40 representatives still hangs in the balance, but if PNTR passes into law, the AFL-CIO believes a major opportunity will have been missed. "We won't have a lot left to do," acknowledged Greg Woodhead, a senior economist at the AFL-CIO. "Now is the time to be doing something," he insisted. "Assuming it's passed, then we will no longer have the annual review and ... China gets a free pass on egregious violations of human rights and workers' rights." ((c) 2000 Agence France Presse) http://www.insidechina.com/news.php3?id=156740 Dissidents, Labor Dismiss Clinton's Compliance Initiative On PNTR For China WASHINGTON, May 4, 2000 -- (Agence France Presse) Exiled Chinese dissidents and the United States' powerful labor alliance on Wednesday dismissed the White House's latest effort to win over critics of its trade deal with China. "I'm not impressed," said Richard Long, a Chinese dissident and founder of an independent e-mail service covering human rights and democracy in China. President Bill Clinton's administration, anxious to appease critics of granting Permanent Normal Trading Relations (PNTR) to China as a precursor to joining the World Trade Organization, on Wednesday unveiled an unprecedented five-point plan to monitor Beijing's compliance with the pact. At present, the U.S. Congress reviews China's trade status every year. Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers called the initiative "the most intensive enforcement and compliance effort ever mounted for a single trade agreement." But Long insisted enforcement would not be that simple. "It's not easy to implement it," he said, adding his fears that once in the world trade body, members would bend the rules to accommodate Beijing and its huge market. Dissidents and labor, which have presented formidable opposition to the PNTR legislation up for a vote the week of May 22, believe that granting China PNTR would wipe out any U.S. leverage over Beijing, particularly in the areas of human rights and labor practices. "It's not enough," AFL-CIO spokesperson Naomi Walker said of the initiative. The AFL-CIO is the main U.S. labor organization. "Even if they do comply with the trade provisions of the agreement, it still does not address in any way the human rights abuses, and that we give up any economic leverage if China continues to abuse its workers," she told AFP. The enforcement plan, outlined in remarks to the committee by Commerce Secretary William Daley, is part of an intensive administration lobbying drive to win congressional backing for the measure. Many U.S. lawmakers, including Democrats, have said they will vote against the measure exactly because they fear U.S. sway over China would disappear. Agreeing with labor and human rights groups, they have also charged that China has a poor record of compliance with previous commercial deals. "If we give China PNTR now ... If Communist China were to be certified as "normal" in its currently abnormal state, why should the government make further reforms?" added exiled dissident Wei Jingsheng. Last November, Beijing and Washington signed a trade deal providing sweeping market access for U.S. goods as a first step for China joining the World Trade Organization, but Beijing made it clear it wanted congressional approval of PNTR first. The vote will be tough as the support of 30 to 40 representatives still hangs in the balance, but if PNTR passes into law, the AFL-CIO believes a major opportunity will have been missed. "We won't have a lot left to do," acknowledged Greg Woodhead, a senior economist at the AFL-CIO. "Now is the time to be doing something," he insisted. "Assuming it's passed, then we will no longer have the annual review and ... China gets a free pass on egregious violations of human rights and workers' rights." ((c) 2000 Agence France Presse)
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