China Most Favored Nation Status

Youth for Democratic Action sponsored a forum on the issue of the extension of the most favored nation trade status for China. In July 1991, the House voted to extend MFN status to China for one year, with further extensions conditional upon improvements in China’s human rights record. Supporters of the extension claimed democratic reformers in China would be hurt by the refusal to extend MFN status, and U.S.-Chinese trade relations were too valuable to eliminate. Opponents of the extension claimed the U.S. would effectively condone the poor human rights record of the Chinese regime by rewarding them with normalized trade status, withdrawn in 1989 following the brutal crackdown on dissent by the Chinese government. Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), sponsor of the House bill that extended MFN status upon conditions, and Representative Barney Frank (D-MA), author of a House bill that would have revoked MFN status for China, discussed the House vote. close