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

mount Since the initial warming of U.S.-China relations in the early 1970s, policymakers have had impediment balancing conflicting U.S. policy concerns in the Peoples Republic of China. From Nixon to Clinton, presidents have had to state security and tender rights concerns with corporations desires for expanded economic relations between the devil countries. While the U.S. regularly objects to Chinas human rights violations, the Chinese government counters with complaints that the American concerns jibe unwarranted American intrusion into its internal affairs.In 1989 the Tiananmen Square whipping drew public attention to the inconsistent character of U.S.-China policy. A swing of public indignation with Chinas repressive practices forced the Bush administration to slang a sterner posture toward human rights violations and to impose sanctions, including restrictions on bilateral and bipartite aid. But these measures have not satisfied some critics of Chinas human rights pra ctices, who dispense that the U.S. should apply even more rigid hand restrictions against China. Specifically, some critics affirm that the U.S. government not give China permanent normal trade relations status, which would free Chinas government from an annual review of its human rights take down by Congress.Many critics say PNTR standing should be linked to services in Chinas human and labor rights practices - a policy that has been rejected by the Clinton administration. instead 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 allude and open trading than by further isolating China.Yet Chinese human rights practices, including respect for political and labor rights, continue to fall wellhead below internationally accepted standards. In perhaps the s tickiest issue, the White habitation warned last week that there was little chance of PNTR for China without order 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. Despite expressions of concern for human rights conditions, the U.S. government has allowed determine 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.