Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to override a Presidential veto of a bill that prohibits the President from extending most-favored-nation trade status to China in 1993 (excluding non-state-owned enterprises), unless specific preconditions are met with respect to human rights, weapons proliferation, and trade practices.

Highlights:

• Establishes the following preconditions with respect to human rights (Sec. 3):
• Taking appropriate action to begin adhering to the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
• Taking appropriate action to begin to allow the unrestricted emigration of Chinese citizens who want to leave for reasons of political or religious persecution, to join family members abroad, or for other valid reasons;
• Making overall significant progress in terminating religious persecution and releasing leaders and members of religious groups accused, detained, sentenced, or imprisoned for expressing their religious beliefs;
• Taking action to prevent the export of products to the United States manufactured wholly or in part by convict, forced, or indentured labor;
• Providing for acceptable accounting of citizens accused, detained, sentenced, or imprisoned as a result of nonviolent expression of their political beliefs;
• Releasing or demonstrating a good faith effort to release those accused, detained, sentenced, or imprisoned for nonviolent protest at Tienanmen Square on June 3 and 4, 1989; and
• Cooperating with efforts to locate U.S. military personnel that were lost during the Korean and Vietnam wars.

• Prohibits the President from extending most-favored-nation trade status unless China demonstrates overall significant progress in terminating "unfair trade practices against American businesses, and providing them fair access to Chinese markets." This includes the lowering of tariffs, removing non tariff barriers, and increasing the purchase of U.S. goods and services [sec. 3 (5) (B)].

• Establishes the following weapons proliferation objectives that China must demonstrate overall significant progress in achieving [sec. 3 (5) (C)]:
• Abiding by the limitations and controls of the Missile Technology Control Regime;
• Abiding by the standards and guidelines of the Nuclear Suppliers Group; and
• Abiding by the standards and guidelines of the Australia Group on chemical and biological arms proliferation.

• Specifies that most-favored-nation status will still apply to businesses, corporations, partnerships, qualified joint ventures, or any other person that is not a state-owned enterprise of the People's Republic of China, should the President determine that China has failed to comply with the above preconditions [sec. 5 (a)].

•  Allows any person who believes that a particular business, corporation, partnership, or company should be included or excluded from designation as a state-owned enterprise to petition the Secretary of Treasury to review its status [sec. 5 (e)].

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to override a Presidential veto of a bill that prohibits the President from extending most-favored-nation trade status to China in 1993 (excluding non-state-owned enterprises), unless specific preconditions are met with respect to human rights, weapons proliferation, and trade practices.

Highlights:

• Establishes the following preconditions with respect to human rights (Sec. 3):
• Taking appropriate action to begin adhering to the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
• Taking appropriate action to begin to allow the unrestricted emigration of Chinese citizens who want to leave for reasons of political or religious persecution, to join family members abroad, or for other valid reasons;
• Making overall significant progress in terminating religious persecution and releasing leaders and members of religious groups accused, detained, sentenced, or imprisoned for expressing their religious beliefs;
• Taking action to prevent the export of products to the United States manufactured wholly or in part by convict, forced, or indentured labor;
• Providing for acceptable accounting of citizens accused, detained, sentenced, or imprisoned as a result of nonviolent expression of their political beliefs;
• Releasing or demonstrating a good faith effort to release those accused, detained, sentenced, or imprisoned for nonviolent protest at Tienanmen Square on June 3 and 4, 1989; and
• Cooperating with efforts to locate U.S. military personnel that were lost during the Korean and Vietnam wars.

• Prohibits the President from extending most-favored-nation trade status unless China demonstrates overall significant progress in terminating "unfair trade practices against American businesses, and providing them fair access to Chinese markets." This includes the lowering of tariffs, removing non tariff barriers, and increasing the purchase of U.S. goods and services [sec. 3 (5) (B)].

• Establishes the following weapons proliferation objectives that China must demonstrate overall significant progress in achieving [sec. 3 (5) (C)]:
• Abiding by the limitations and controls of the Missile Technology Control Regime;
• Abiding by the standards and guidelines of the Nuclear Suppliers Group; and
• Abiding by the standards and guidelines of the Australia Group on chemical and biological arms proliferation.

• Specifies that most-favored-nation status will still apply to businesses, corporations, partnerships, qualified joint ventures, or any other person that is not a state-owned enterprise of the People's Republic of China, should the President determine that China has failed to comply with the above preconditions [sec. 5 (a)].

•  Allows any person who believes that a particular business, corporation, partnership, or company should be included or excluded from designation as a state-owned enterprise to petition the Secretary of Treasury to review its status [sec. 5 (e)].

Full Bill Text

Vetoed by President George Bush

Full Bill Text

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that prohibits the President from extending most-favored-nation trade status to China in 1993 (excluding non-state-owned enterprises), unless China has made "overall significant progress" in the areas of human rights, weapons proliferation, and trade practices.

Highlights:

• Prohibits the President from extending most-favored-nation trade status unless China has accounted for and released all individuals accused, detained, sentence, or imprisoned for nonviolent protest at Tiananmen Square on June 3 and 4, 1989 [sec. 3 (a) (1)].

• Establishes the following human rights objectives that China must demonstrate overall significant progress in achieving [sec. 3 (b)]:
• Preventing gross violations of internationally recognized human and workers' rights;
• Preventing the export of goods made by prisoners in detention facilities, and allowing U.S. and international intergovernmental organizations to inspect these facilities;
• Terminating religious persecution, and releasing leaders and members of religious groups accused, detained, sentence, or imprisoned for expressing their religious beliefs;
• Removing restrictions on freedom of the press;
• Terminating intimidation tactics against Chinese citizens in the United States;
• Ensuring freedom from torture in prisons;
• Terminating restrictions on peaceful demonstrations; and
• Cooperating with efforts to locate U.S. military personnel who were lost during the Korean and Vietnam wars.

• Establishes the following trade objectives that China must demonstrate overall significant progress in achieving [sec. 3 (c)]:
• Providing protection of U.S. patents, copyrights, and other intellectual property rights;
• Providing U.S. exporters fair access to Chinese markets, which includes the lowering of tariffs, removing non tariff barriers, and increasing the purchase of American goods and services; and
• Terminating "unfair trade practices against the United States."

• Establishes the following weapons proliferation objectives that China must demonstrate overall significant progress in achieving [sec. 3 (d)]:
• Abiding by the limitations and controls of the Missile Technology Control Regime;
• Abiding by the standards and guidelines of the Nuclear Suppliers Group;
• Abiding by the standards and guidelines of the Australia Group on chemical and biological arms proliferation; and
• Assuring that China is not assisting any non-nuclear country in acquiring nuclear weapons or related materials.

• Specifies that most-favored-nation status will still apply to businesses, corporations, partnerships, qualified joint ventures, or any other person that is not a state-owned enterprise of the People's Republic of China, should the President determine that China has failed to make significant progress in complying with the above preconditions [sec. 4 (a)].

• Allows any person who believes that a particular business, corporation, partnership, or company should be included or excluded from designation as a state-owned enterprise to petition the Secretary of Treasury to review its status [sec. 4 (e)].

Full Bill Text

Full Bill Text