This issue is of importance to our relationship with a country that will become a major regional and global power in the next century. It affects our national interests, not only in China, but in the Asian region as a whole. I would like to use my time this morning to try to put our decision on MFN into the broader context of the entire U.S.-China relationship.
China is at a critical juncture.
The manner in which we and others engage China will help determine whether it is a constructive force in Asia and the world or follows a more worrisome and perhaps destabilizing path. I would like to begin by outlining the two principal reasons why we oppose revocation or the imposition of conditions on China's MFN status. First, we have practical objections to such actions. MFN is a blunt instrument. We have better tools for getting the job done in each area of our bilateral relations with China.