Newsgroups: alt.politics.clinton,soc.culture.china
Subject: CLINTON SPEECH TEXT: BUSH'S CHINA STATUS CRITICIZED
Supersedes: <92231.232629U45301@uicvm.uic.edu>
Organization: University of Illinois at Chicago
Date: Wednesday, 19 Aug 1992 12:23:30 CDT
From: Mary Jacobs <U45301@uicvm.uic.edu>

CLINTON SPEECH TEXT IS NOW POSTED ON ALT.POLITICS.CLINTON

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               CLINTON CRITICIZES BUSH DECISION
           TO RENEW CHINA'S MOST FAVORED NATION STATUS

     Los Angeles, CA -- Governor Bill Clinton today criticized
President Bush's decision to unconditionally renew China's "Most
Favored Nation" status, calling it "another sad chapter in this
administration's history of putting America on the wrong side of
human rights and democracy."

     "Rather than leading an international effort to pressure the
Chinese government, the Bush Administration has coddled the regime,
pleading for progress but failing to impose penalties for
intransigience," Clinton said.

     Clinton said that Bush "rejected the will of the American
people" by vetoing a bill passed by Congress that would require the
Chinese government to make concrete progress in the areas of human
rights, trade and nuclear proliferation in order to maintain its
beneficial trade status.

     "The people of China are still denied their basic rights and
liberties," Clinton said, "It is time to put America back on the
side of democracy and freedom."

     A full text of the statement follows.


Governor Bill Clinton
Statement on China
June 3, 1992

     President Bush's unconditional renewal of China's "Most
Favored Nation" status is yet another sad chapter in this
administration's history of putting America on the wrong side of
human rights and democracy.  Whether siding for too long with the
status quo -- in Russia, in Ukraine, in the Baltics, and in a
disintegrating Yugoslavia -- or in supporting Saddam Hussein just
before his invasion of Kuwait, this Administration has failed the
test of leadership and America's best values.

     The American people understand that the brave men and women
who stood up to the coup in Moscow were fighting for the same
principle as the martyrs of the Tiananmen Square who died three
years ago at the hands of the repressive regime in China.  America
rallied behind the lone brave man who stopped the column of tanks,
just as we supported Boris Yeltsin when he jumped onto a tank and
faced down the hard line Soviet coup leaders.

     These brave democrats -- and tens of thousands whose human
rights are denied by their own government -- deserve the full
support of the American people.  Yet, rather than leading an
international effort to pressure the Chinese government, the Bush
Administration has coddled the regime, pleading for progress but
failing to impose penalties for intransigence.  I was embarrassed
for my country by the abhorrent secret mission in which the
President's personal emissary toasted the regime following the
massacre and by the Administration's veto of the Chinese student
protection bill passed overwhelmingly in both houses of Congress.

     And now, for the third year in a row, President Bush has
unconscionably renewed China's MFN status without a single
condition.  He has rejected the will of the American people by
vetoing the bill passed by Congress to require the Chinese
government to make concrete and significant progress in the areas
of human rights, trade and nuclear proliferation in order to
maintain its beneficial trade status.

     Despite the extraordinary gains for freedom across the world
since the tragedy of Tiananmen Square, the people of China are
still denied their basic rights and liberties.  They are denied the
right to choose their own leaders; they are still imprisoned for
simply calling for democracy; they continue to suffer torture and
cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and punishment.  They still
risk imprisonment without charge or trial and are subject to
arbitrary arrest.  As prisoners, some are still forced to produce
cheap products for export abroad.  And the people of Tibet continue
to suffer especially harsh persecution under their Beijing
oppressors.

     We still do not know how many individuals the Chinese
government has detained or sentenced for their role in the
demonstrations for democracy three years ago, but estimates run
into the thousands.  And the aging leadership in Beijing remains
defiant and unrepentant in its refusal to allow the Chinese people
to exercise their basic rights.

     Despite promises from the Administration of good behavior from
the Chinese on non-proliferation, I am still concerned over
possible Chinese sales of sophisticated weapons to regimes such as
Syria and Iran.  In addition, there are reports that they may be
providing dual-use technology, information and training to Syria,
Iran, Libya and Pakistan.  And China's explosion last month of its
largest nuclear test ever should be another strong warning signal
that the Bush Administration's policy of constructive engagement
has been a dismal failure.

     This morning, the leadership and other members of Congress in
both Houses announced their intention to introduce parallel
resolutions to condition the renewal of China's MFN status to
progress in key areas.  This legislation targets the state- owned
enterprises for tariff increases if China fails to make progress
and makes clear that we will not continue business as usual with
the leaders in Beijing.

     For two years, the Administration has argued that its
opposition to revoking China's privileged status was rooted in a
concern about causing harm to members of the American business
community or to the Chinese civilian population.  This year's bill
moots that argument by targeting only those enterprises which
directly benefit the Chinese government.

     It is time to put America back on the side of democracy and
freedom.  I hope the Congress will move quickly to enact its
important legislation and that the President will allow it to
become the law of this land.

End of Statement
June 3, 1992
Newsgroups: alt.politics.clinton,talk.politics.guns