INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

SUPPORT PERMANENT NORMAL TRADE RELATIONS WITH CHINA

WHEREAS, the Congress is nearing a vote on ratification of a new trade agreement reached last year with the People’s Republic of China that would give the giant nation full membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO), open huge new markets for U.S. products in China, and help promote reform, accountability and openness in China; and

WHEREAS, 41 of the nation’s governors have a signed letter of support for the China trade agreement and support has been growing in Congress, but the outcome of a vote in the House of Representatives, scheduled for the week of May 22, is not assured as of this writing; and

WHEREAS, while Congress does not have the option of adding to the trade agreement itself, but the House is drafting parallel legislation which would address concerns abut issues including abortion, human rights, trade compliance, labor rights, environmental standards, defense issues and a more open WTO, plus a continuation of annual evaluation by the U.S. government of China’s trade practices, and those provisions can be passed into law along with the treaty as long as the parallel law does not violate WTO rules against sanctions between member states; and

WHEREAS, to compete effectively with their counterpart throughout the world, American companies, farmers and workers need to be able to import export and distribute goods in China and this new agreement will allow them to do so directly from the U.S. and to have their own distribution facilities in China rather than being forced to set up factories in China and will give U.S. companies access to fast-growing new industries in telecommunications in China,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the United States Conference of Mayors supports ratification of the U.S.-China WTO Agreement, also known as Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR), and applauds the House and urges the Senate for swift passage and notifies all members of the House and Senate via this resolution of its strong support.