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February 10, 2006
Senate considers repealing normal trade relations with China: not quite deja vu all over again
I was actually quite struck by the reasons offered by the Senators proposing to repeal PNTR (see news links below). I remember watching the MFN debates in the mid-1990s, and much fo the rhetoric of opponents of normalizing trade was about China's poor human rights record - no freedom of religion, lack of democracy, lack of personal freedoms, etc. Interestingly, in all the media reports I have seen - including both Chinese and Western - the complaints are solely economic. Senators are bashing China's unfair trade practices, currency valuation policy, etc. The only thing that gets mildly "human rightsy" seems to be one mention that China does not abide by its own labor law -- however, given the context of its mention, it seems to be more of an expression of China having an unfair economic advantage than one of concern about workers rights.
So, perhaps we have entered a new phase in US-China relations in the last decade? Aside from the religious rights' handful of abortion-related policies, perhaps either "engagement" really has won out, lacking any dissenters, or perhaps the human rights agenda has really just fallen off the map to a larger extent than I realized. I would have expected those senators pushing this revokation to be immediately backed by those crying about a lack of religious freedom and other, what they see as, human rights violations. Admittedly, I have just read a few press reports, but I haven't seen this happening. Someone please correct me and pass on the links if I am wrong.
Best wishes from Beijing,
aaron
Here are two stories from the China Daily, the PRC's official state-run English langauge newspaper:
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2006-02/10/content_518997.htm
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2006-02/10/content_518884.htm
Here is one from a Western media outlet:
http://www.forbes.com/markets/feeds/afx/2006/02/09/afx2515104.html
Posted by Aaron Halegua at 11:12 PM
