|
When does a country NOT get Most Favored Nation status? by Valli Sharpe-Geisler
|
Most Favored Nation (MFN) status is the best tariff treatment this country can award another. Once a country has attained MFN what action or wrong doing should cause them to lose it?
Would you continue MFN treatment to a country that sold Stinger Missiles and automatic weapons (AK47's) to street gangs in LA? What if our trade deficit (or trade losses) topped $40 Billion this year with that country thus perpetuating job losses here. What about a country that extends prison sentences to keep prison labor on the job in the prison factories or laogai in order to produce cheaper exports for the U.S.? Should we grant them our highest trade status if they continue to sell sensitive nuclear weapons related technology to Pakistan? Well unfortunately, the defenders of the status quo in this Congress voted to continue MFN for CHINA, despite the pleading of their constituencies. (Click here for Representative Wolf's 9 page summary reviewing China's numerous violations)
With Most Favored Nation status, imports from China have a maximum tariff of 2% while China maintains a 30% to 40% tariff on US goods. Since we started MFN with China, the trade deficit has been increasing from $5 Billion in 1989 to $40 Billion now, which translates into an additional 800,000 jobs lost in this country. (Click here for a speech by Edith Holleman to the IEEE called: "Engineers and Employment in the Global Economy," which covers this topic in detail.
Click here for Representative Kaptur's floor speech to the U.S. House of Representatives on the trade deficit. |
Citizens for a Sound Economy advised Congressman Rohrabacker that without a vote in favor of China’s MFN they would not consider him for next year’s Jefferson award. He went on to say, ... they are insulting the Members of this Congress by calling it a Jefferson Award and then counting it against us for voting not to give the world’s worst tyranny an advantageous trading relationship with this country.
Rep. Solomon and Rep Rohrabacker are sending theirs back in the same box.
Click here for Representative Rohrabacker's floor speech to the U.S. House of Representatives on the trade deficit.
This wasn't the first time that Members of Congress were accused of selling out to special interest lobbies. Representative Kaptur went on to say, "And I remember the NAFTA vote. I remember we almost carried it, and then 63 deals were made. And do you know what? The American people, they remember that too." With China MFN it has been no different.
During a phone conversation, one of Congressman Bono's staffers remarked, "All the calls from the district were saying No MFN, but the big company lobbyists are saying Yes MFN.
This sums-up the problem our representatives face during a key vote.
The 104th Congress approved MFN for China in a vote of 286 to 141. How would you vote?
"We have got Members here who are going to sell out for Nike tennis shoes ... Barbie dolls ... and Walmart." - Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio.
Click here for Representative Marcy Kaptur's floor speech to the U.S. House of Representatives on MFN.
Click here and answer our poll questions about Most Favored Nation status for China
laogai - The forced labor system in China is called the laogai. China human rights activist Harry Wu has documented the existence of 1,100 gulag prisons in China today and estimates that there are over 3,000 in existence. Each year a million Chinese men and women are sent to the laogai without trial - the majority for their political or religious views.
Stinger missiles - Surface-to-air missiles used by the Afghan rebels to shoot down Soviet aircraft during the Soviet-Afganistan war. China was recently caught in a sting operation attempting the sale of these deadly weapons to L.A. street gangs. The question remains: will we catch them every time? By approving MFN what signal are we sending? If we bumped them to the trade status just below most favored, wouldn't that send a clearer message to urge positive change?
Copyright © 1997 Valli Sharpe-Geisler - Email siliconv@bena.com
