The final vote -- 237 to 197 -- was bolstered by strong Republican support for the bill. 218 votes were needed for passage.
Rep. Bill Archer, R-Texas, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, called the PNTR bill "the most important vote that we cast in our congressional careers."
President Clinton, who made PNTR the major initiative of his final year in the White House, lobbied House Democrats for votes.
But most (House Democrats) opposed the legislation, noting human rights abuses and lack of labor laws in China. Minority Leader Richard Gephardt (Mo.) announced his opposition last month.
"When we stand up, things get better for human rights in China. When we stand down, things get worse," Gephardt told the House.
Supporters said the bill would open China's vast markets to U.S. companies and help promote democratic change by exporting American values. With 1.25 billion people, China is the world's most populous nation and has one of the fastest growing economies.
Opponents -- including the religious right and a coalition of environmental, human rights and veterans organizations in addition to labor -- asserted PNTR would reward a brutal regime and make it easier for U.S. manufacturers to move factories to China and exploit low-wage workers.
Honey, my politics mean nothing. Though I've worked for the GOP for a couple of decades, I was registered as an indepentend until recently. I've been inside politics for a very long time. Your partisan argument is childish to me. PNTR was Bill Clinton's baby. I ask again: where were you when I was handing out petitions against PNTR? What were you doing? You never answered the question.
Excuse my asking, but what does PNTR stand for?