Congress’ annual review of China’s human rights record before granting the Beijing government favored trade status came to an end Sept. 19 when the Senate resoundingly approved permanent relations with the communist giant.
The Senate vote means China will be free to “continue and increase its pattern of persecution of Christians and other people of faith,” said Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission Robert Maginnis, vice president of foreign affairs for Family Research Council, charged the Senate had “sacrificed the last peaceable leverage available to the United States for initiating reform in China. Passing permanent normal trade relations for China (PNTR) without any amendments is like giving a bull free rein in a China shop,” Maginnis said in a written release.
The Senate voted 38-15 in favor of PNTR. The easy win was expected after the measure passed in a far more contested vote in the House of Representatives. The House approved PNTR by a 237-197 vote in May.
Congress passed the proposal despite opposition from some conservative Christians, as well as labor unions and human rights and environmental activists.
One of the primary reasons for opposition to PNTR was the Chinese government’s ongoing persecution of Christian, Tibetan Buddhists and other religious adherents. Other concerns cited by PNTR opponents were numerous human rights abuses, including coercive abortion and sterilization, as well as China’s military buildup and increased threats toward Taiwan and the United States, possible harm to American workers and businesses, and pollution in the world’s most populous country.
Critics said granting PNTR would eliminate an important vehicle for holding the Beijing government accountable. Proponents of PNTR said it would open China not only to American products but to increased freedom as well.
Persecution ongoing
The Senate passed PNTR despite recent reports critical of China’s record on religious freedom.
In May, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom recommended in its inaugural report that Congress not approve PNTR until Beijing made significant improvements in its religious rights record.
Suppression of Christians and other religious adherents in China had increased in the last year, the commission reported. The panel was established by Congress and appointed by the president and congressional leadership.
The State Department reported in early September “respect for religious freedom deteriorated markedly” in China during part of the last year. The department’s second report on religious freedom overseas again listed China as one of seven totalitarian states.
The Senate rejected a series of amendments seeking to tie PNTR to Beijing’s policies on such issues as human and religious rights, as well as arms.
PNTR received the backing of the White House as well as both political parties in the Senate.
President Clinton said after the Senate vote PNTR “is a step in the right direction. The more China opens its markets to our products, the wider it opens its doors to economic freedom and the more fully it will liberate the potential of its people.”
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