Posted on 12/27/2001 3:04:11 PM PST by Jean S
CRAWFORD, Texas (AP) Text of President Bush's proclamation Thursday on China's permanent trade status.
1. The United States and the People's Republic of China (China) opened trade relations in 1980. Since that time, the products of China have received nondiscriminatory treatment pursuant to annual waivers of the requirements of section 402 of the Trade Act of 1974 (the "Trade Act") (19 U.S.C. 2432). Trade between the United States and China has expanded significantly even though China has maintained restrictions on market access for U.S. exports and investment.
2. On Nov. 15, 1999, the United States and China agreed on certain terms and conditions for China's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) that when implemented will eliminate or greatly reduce the principal barriers to trade and investment in China.
3. On Nov. 9, 2001, pursuant to section 101(b) of Public Law 106-286, 114 Stat. 881, I transmitted a report to the Congress certifying that the terms and conditions for the accession of China to the WTO are at least equivalent to those agreed between the United States and China on Nov. 15, 1999. On Nov. 10, 2001, the Ministerial Conference of the WTO approved the terms and conditions for China's accession and invited China to become a member of the WTO. China has accepted these terms and conditions and became a WTO member on Dec. 11, 2001.
4. Pursuant to section 101(a)(1) of Public Law 106-286, 114 Stat. 881, I hereby determine that chapter 1 of title IV of the Trade Act should no longer apply to China.
Now, therefore, I, George W. Bush, president of the United States of America, acting under the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, including but not limited to sections 101(a)(2) and 102(a) of Public Law 106-286, 114 Stat. 881, do hereby proclaim that:
(1) Nondiscriminatory treatment (normal trade relations treatment) shall be extended to the products of China; and
(2) The extension of nondiscriminatory treatment to the products of China shall be effective as of Jan. 1, 2002.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 27th day of December, in the year of our Lord 2001, and of the independence of the United States of America the 226th.
George W. Bush
BUSH. ...There are some folks in our country who believe we ought to trade with Cuba. I don't. I think that would be wrong-headed. I think it's be a mistake. Capital that goes into Cuba will be used by the Fidel Castro government to prop itself up. There is a commission-type system in Cuba. Dollars invested will be dollars that will end up supporting this totalitarian regime. It's in our best interests for us to promote freedom in the island right off the coast of Florida. It's in our best interest to keep the pressure on Fidel Castro until he allows free elections, free press and free the prisoners in that island. And for those Americans that believe that trade with Cuba will cause Castro to become less totalitarian, in my judgment are naïve and wrong.
BAUER. Governor, you just made the case for withdrawing most favored nation status from China.
BUSH. I did not.
BAUER. Everything that you just said about Cuba applies to China.
From the Michigan Debate Calvin College, 01/11/00
BUSH. ...There are some folks in our country who believe we ought to trade with Cuba. I don't. I think that would be wrong-headed. I think it's be a mistake. Capital that goes into Cuba will be used by the Fidel Castro government to prop itself up. There is a commission-type system in Cuba. Dollars invested will be dollars that will end up supporting this totalitarian regime. It's in our best interests for us to promote freedom in the island right off the coast of Florida. It's in our best interest to keep the pressure on Fidel Castro until he allows free elections, free press and free the prisoners in that island. And for those Americans that believe that trade with Cuba will cause Castro to become less totalitarian, in my judgment are naïve and wrong.
BAUER. Governor, you just made the case for withdrawing most favored nation status from China.
BUSH. I did not.
BAUER. Everything that you just said about Cuba applies to China.
BUSH. May I answer that please?
RUSSERT. Please.
BUSH. There is a huge difference, a huge difference between trading with an entrepreneurial class like that which is growing in China and allowing a Fidel Castro government to skim capital moneys off the top of capital investment. There's a huge difference, a huge difference.
BAUER. Governor, one-third of the trade with China is with companies controlled by the People's Liberation Army.
BUSH. Gary.
BAUER. You know that and I know that. Tell the people rotting in the prisons of China that there's any difference between Castro's Cuba and Communist China. There is none.
BUSH. Let me say this. If we turn our back on the entrepreneurial class that is taking wing in China, we're making a huge mistake. If we turn our back on those that have gotten a whiff of freedom as a result of the marketplace taking hold, we're making a big mistake.
BAUER. Listen, I --
BUSH. We're making a big mistake. We're making a big mistake.
BAUER. The People's Liberation is O.K.?
BUSH. No it's not. I'm talking about the entrepreneurial class that is growing in the country of China.
BAUER. Sir, they are using that money for a massive arms buildup that our sons will have to deal with down the road.
BUSH. Only if you're the president.
BAUER. You can't be tough on China and not on --
BUSH. If I'm the president --
(BOTH TALKING AT ONCE)
RUSSERT. Mr. Bauer. Mr. Bauer, Mr. Bush. Let me move to another area..
Nice going Mr. President.
Fine. Trade benefits us both.
That said, now bring down the communist regime.
The pieces are in place. The communists do not help China. They do not help us.
Bring down the regime. Support the implementation of a stable government with stability brought about by being part of the international group of civilized trading partners.
I think if Castro died or stepped aside or whatever and total chaos emerged in Cuba, the effect on the rest of the world would be minimal.
When the Soviet Union fell apart and basically defaulted in 1998, Long term Capital and the world economy came close to a meltdown.
If China were to enter chaos, the world economy most likely would melt down. I think what Bush and others are trying to engineer is a gradual evolution that eventually caused the communists to lose power, but uncertainty and chaos in China now could be a very bad thing for the world.
1.)Bauer raped Bush in that China/free trade debate!
2.) Bush not only did not learn anything from his a$$ whooping, he put a family friend of Jiang Zhemin's in as labor secretary!
I never saw him so flustered.. He was saying stuff like "Not if I am President.. Only if you are President"
Russert rang the bell and he pulled himself off the ropes right after.
Bauer is a shrewd guy.. He was awesome in that debate.
You are a starry eyed pollyanna.
The Chinese people had more freedom in the 1980's and made their wishes known. It happened prior to the fall of the eastern block nations. The difference was the communist regime massacred unarmed citizens with the Army.
If the regime continues much longer the acceptance of the Natonal Socialist system there will take root.
Nonsense.
If the regime fell there would be no chaos.
The caveat to that is that the communists would try to create as much chaos as possible.
If it came down to it, chaos may be the best thing to happen there.
There is no reason a peaceful transition cannot occur. The only reason it hasn't yet is because the communists have used deadly force on mass scale and at the individual level to stop it from happening.
The longer they hold out, the worse it will be and the more "chaos" there will be.
The argument that the only thing standing between China and chaos is the leadership of the communist party comes from, where else, the communist party.
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