But it is also the message we are hearing more and more from Beijing. Three decades have passed since Dr. Kissinger made like Houdini and slipped off in secret to China. He encountered there an isolated and totalitarian regime.
China remains politically repressive and harsh towards dissent.
But economically, it has been evolving rapidly. Consumers and workers have more choices. And China's government has decided to integrate its economy into the world's. To encourage this, President Clinton is asking Congress to support our agreement to bring China into the WTO by approving Permanent Normal Trade Relations with that country. This is the right choice for America economically, because the agreement will require China to further open its markets, without mandating any corresponding concessions from us.