If the Senate approves the bill next month as expected, the challenge for companies will be linking free trade to human-rights protection. A pedestrian walks past a soon to be opened Starbucks in Beijing.
Many American businesses are eager to enter the Chinese marketplace.
When it comes to American business, nearly every industry is expected to see some benefit from greater access to the Chinese marketplace. The ramifications of American access to cheaper goods, resulting from cheaper Chinese labor and low-tariff access, have U.S. labor unions up in arms over potential jobs lost and impact on the economy. The deal would also allow more American goods and services to marketed to the more than 1 billion people living in China access. The technology and telecommunications sectors are two of the largest industries that would be impacted if PNTR were established with China. By the end of this year, IDC expects China to become the second-largest market for personal computers, creating new opportunities for American companies to market computers, software and Internet access in China.