Clinton calls on Congress to approve China trade pact

By Deborah Charles/Reuters

TAMPA (Reuters) - President Clinton said Monday it was essential that the Senate act on a China trade bill in early September, adding although there were more than enough votes to pass it he was worried about procedural delays.

"This is not a done deal," Clinton said during an unscheduled stop at a China trade seminar co-sponsored by the U.S. Commerce Department.

He urged business leaders to lobby Senate leadership over the vote to grant China permanent normal trade relations with the United States. The trade bill won House of Representatives approval in May, but only after a bitter fight pitting organized labor against big business.

The Senate voted last week to start debate on the legislation when Congress returns from its month-long recess Sept. 5. "It is absolutely imperative that this bill be voted in early September," Clinton said.

"We've got way more votes than we need to pass ... there are probably 70 senators for it," he said.

"The only thing I worry about is that with all the business they have now, something procedural could happen that would delay this," he said.

Senate majority leader Trent Lott, a Mississippi Republican, has said that before the Senate passes the bill, he wants it to vote on legislation that could lead to sanctions against China for alleged weapon sales to Pakistan and other countries.

Opponents of closer trade ties with China said they would use every measure at their disposal to derail the pact.

The bill would end the annual ritual of reviewing Beijing's trade status and guarantee Chinese goods the same low-tariff access to U.S. markets as the products of nearly every other nation. In exchange for the benefits, China has agreed to open a wide range of markets, from agriculture to telecommunications, to U.S. businesses under the terms of a landmark agreement ushering Beijing into the Geneva-based World Trade Organization.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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