Word: mfn
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...Helms used his position as Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair to hold up the Chemical Weapons treaty until the Administration agreed to a long-sought reorganization of the State Department. This time around, Helms could be seeking concessions on drug policy towards Mexico, or to influence the debate on MFN renewal for China. "Helms will probably end up going along," Allis notes. "But not until he gets his pound of flesh...
...just a coincidence that mention of Chinese unmentionables is popping up now? Probably not. The suit bears the hallmarks of a well-timed legal offensive designed to exploit the growing controversy over renewal of China's most-favored-nation (MFN) trading status, which lowers U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports. President Clinton supports the measure, but opponents, who include religious and human-rights activists as well as industries fearful of low-cost Chinese competition, plan to make Beijing's alleged transgressions their Exhibit A. Referring to the ballooning $40 billion U.S. trade deficit with China, Gary Bauer, head of the right...
Next Wu had his turn at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, testifying that everything from paper clips to Christmas lights is being manufactured by unpaid convicts and then sold cheaply--and illegally--in America. MFN opponents accuse the Clinton Administration of turning a blind eye toward Beijing. Even George Weise, who heads U.S. Customs, the agency charged with preventing the import of prison-made goods, admits lamely that "we simply do not have the tools" to carry out that mission. Weise admits the agency is similarly tool-less in spotting mislabeled apparel imports, which amount to at least $2 billion...
...which began a probe. Of the six U.S. lawmakers who emerged as major targets, four were from California, where the business community began courting the Chinese soon after Richard Nixon renewed ties in 1972. Democratic Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer are longtime supporters of China's MFN status. (Feinstein's husband has extensive business interests there.) Representative Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, is a leading opponent. Representative Tom Campbell, a Republican, sits on the House International Relations Committee. Another target was New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, a Democrat critical of China's occupation of Tibet. (The sixth has still...
...blowup over the Chinese connection has already made it doubtful that Beijing will get Congress to grant it permanent MFN status this year. Even longtime supporters are worried about appearing to be in China's pocket. In Long Beach, California, residents are protesting a city plan to lease the abandoned Long Beach Naval Station to the China Ocean Shipping Company Americas, a firm controlled by the Chinese government. California Senators Feinstein and Boxer, who are ordinarily dependable China boosters, have asked the Pentagon to look into the security implications of the lease...