Should Chinas Human Rights Record Prevent Permanent Normal Trade Relations :: Human Rights Essays

Background Since the initial warming of U.S.-China transaction in the early 1970s, policymakers scram had difficulty balancing conflicting U.S. policy concerns in the Peoples Republic of China. From Nixon to Clinton, presidents have had to reconcile security and valet rights concerns with corporations desires for expanded economic relations between the 2 countries. While the U.S. regularly objects to Chinas human rights violations, the Chinese government counters with complaints that the American concerns represent unwarranted American intrusion into its internal affairs.In 1989 the Tiananmen Square massacre displace public attention to the inconsistent character of U.S.-China policy. A wave of public indignation with Chinas repressive practices forced the Bush administration to adopt a sterner strong point toward human rights violations and to impose sanctions, including restrictions on bilateral and multilateral aid. But these measures have not satisfied some critics of China s human rights practices, who contend that the U.S. should apply even more(prenominal) rigid trade restrictions against China. Specifically, some critics insist that the U.S. government not give China permanent normal trade relations status, which would free Chinas government from an yearbook review of its human rights record by Congress.M some(prenominal) critics say PNTR standing should be linked to improvements in Chinas human and labor rights practices - a policy that has been spurned by the Clinton administration. Rather than denying China normal trading status because of human rights violations, the Clinton administration has opted for a policy of comprehensive engagement, which holds that long-term U.S. goals such as human rights improvement are more likely to be achieved through sustained contact and open trading than by further isolating China.Yet Chinese human rights practices, including respect for political and labor rights, continue to fall well below internationally accepted standards. In perhaps the stickiest issue, the White House warned stopping point week that there was little chance of PNTR for China without legislation setting up a watchdog commission to monitor Beijings human rights practices. China, however opposes any plans by the U.S. to monitor human rights as a condition to granting PNTR.On One Hand...American businesses should not be coddled at the expense of human rights. patronage expressions of concern for human rights conditions, the U.S. government has allowed narrow economic interests, particularly those of corporate investors, to guide its China policy. So far, the U.S. government has been unwilling to jeopardize U.S. economic relations by adopting stricter human rights conditions on aid and trade.Chinas trade status is currently reviewed annually by Congress.