I'm a bit confused. Even if the opponents of Permanent Normal Trade Relations with China won, how would that change anything? Presumably China would still be approved on an annual basis for this year. Once it finishes its negotiations with other WTO members (meaning essentially the EU), it would then apply for membership, which would be automatic. So blocking PNTR wouldn't stop China's accession. And once it was a member, revoking NTR on an annual basis would become a WTO violation, just as it would if we acted unilaterally against any other WTO member.
Up until now I thought perhaps the US/China trade agreement was conditional on the US granting PTNR. But yesterday, Shi Guangsheng, China's equivalent of Charlene Barkshefsky, said that even if the US voted down PNTR, China would still apply for WTO membership this year. So what's the point and why are people acting like it's a big deal?
Michael
__________________________________________________________________________ Michael Pollak................New York City..............mpollak at panix.com