The benefits on the trade side are unarguable. China has committed to an unprecedented opening of its markets to American and other foreign agricultural products, manufactured goods, and services. We must grant China PNTR in order to take advantage of this opening. If we don't, then our Japanese and European competitors will be active in China's market, while American farmers, ranchers, workers, and businesses will be left behind. Much of the argument against granting China PNTR focuses on non-trade issues.
Opponents have two major themes.
One is that, by granting PNTR, we will no longer have the annual NTR debate and, therefore, our leverage to influence Chinese behavior in non-trade areas will disappear. Another theme, perhaps less clearly articulated, but underlying many arguments, is simply that China is a bad actor on the world scene and a vote against PNTR says that the US rejects China's behavior. I would like to focus on how we can help influence change in China, that is, how we can promote change for the good in China's domestic and regional behavior. Let me briefly address four issues, and do so in a very pragmatic way. First, human rights.