The U.S. --China WTO Accession Deal: A Strong Deal in the Best Interests of America


THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary


For Immediate Release March 8, 2000



The U.S. --China WTO Accession Deal:
A Strong Deal in the Best Interests of America

China’s Entry To The WTO Will Slash Barriers To The Sale Of American Goods And Services In The World’s Most Populous Country. China’s entry into the WTO will dramatically cut import barriers currently imposed on American products and services. This agreement locks in and expands our access to a market of over one billion people. China’s economy is already among the world’s largest and has expanded at a phenomenal annual rate of nearly 10 % over the past 20 years. During this period, U.S. exports to China have grown from negligible levels to over $14 billion each year.

China Made Unilateral Concessions; We Would Simply Maintain The Market Access Policies We Already Apply To China By Granting It Permanent Normal Trade Relations. China made significant, one-way market-opening concessions across virtually every economic sector, including increasing access to its markets for agriculture, services, technology, telecommunications, and manufactured goods. China also agreed to eliminate “unseen” barriers, such as exclusive rights to import and distribute goods.

The Agreement Strengthens Our Ability To Ensure Fair Trade And To Protect U.S. Agricultural And Manufacturing Base From Import Surges, Unfair Pricing, And Abusive Investment Practices Such As Offsets Or Forced Technology Transfer. Prior to the negotiations, Democrats and Republicans in Congress raised legitimate concerns about the importance of safeguards against unfair competition. As a result, no agreement on WTO accession has ever contained stronger measures to strengthen guarantees of fair trade and to address practices that distort trade and investment. This agreement addresses those concerns through:

Refusal To Pass PNTR Would Put American Farmers, Manufacturing, Workers At A Disadvantage. The United States must grant China permanent NTR or risk losing the full market access benefits of the agreement we negotiated, rights to enforce China’s commitments through WTO dispute settlement, and special import protections. If Congress were to refuse to allow the United States to grant China permanent NTR, our Asian and European competitors would reap these benefits but American farmers and businesses could well be left behind.

China’s Accession Will Help Promote Reform In China And Create A Safer World. The agreement will encourage Chinese leaders to move in the direction of meeting the demands of the Chinese people for openness, accountability, and reform. The agreement:



What's New - March 2000

Women's History Month 2000

The Minimum Wage: Increasing the Reward for Work

New Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit

Meeting with Religious Leaders

Women's History Month

New Public Private Initiative to reduce Weather Related Air Travel Delays

Gun Violence

Agreement with Smith & Wesson

Restoring

Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

American Red Cross Month

Prescription Drug Plan

U.S. – China WTO Accession Deal

Common Sense Gun Laws

Irish-American Heritage Month

Civilian Research and Development

Patient's Bill of Rights

Joint Statement by President Clinton and Prime Minister Tony Blair of the UK

Vaccines to Developing Countires

Human Genome Project

Information Age

Semi-Finalists for 2000-2001 White House Fellowships

President Clinton Urges Congress to Pass Budget

Congressional Budget Resolution

Save your Vision Week

St. Patrick's Day, 2000

Clinton/Gore actions to Enhance America's Energy Security

Social Security Trustees Report - March 30, 2000

Strengthen America's Energy Security

Report Shows Unprecedented Progress

Proclamation: Cancer Control Month, 2000

National Poison Prevention Week

Education and Sharing Day, U.S.A., 2000

Greek Independence Day

Proclamation: National Child Abuse Prevention Month, 2000

Statement by the President on NPT

Common Sense Gun Legislation

Raising the Minimum Wage

U.S. --China WTO Accession Deal

U.S.- China WTO Agreement

Enforcement of The U.S. - China WTO Accession Deal


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