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IN THE US WHO WERE CURRENTLY DENIED THEM BECAUSE OF ALLEGEDLY CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES. GESTURES LIKE THESE MIGHT HELP THE MFN DEBATE WHICH, UNDER A STRICT INTERPRETATION OF THE JACKSON-VANIK LEGISLATION, SHOULD FOCUS ON EMIGRATION POLICIES. THEY WOULD NOT, OF COURSE, OBVIATE WIDER CONCERN ABOUT CHINA'S RECORD. 3. WIEDERMANN ADDED THAT THE AMERICANS HAD BEEN LOOKING AT THE LABOUR PROBLEM, NAMELY THE APPEARANCE IN THE USA OF CHINESE GOODS MADE IN CHINESE PRISONS. OFFICIAL CHINESE POLICY WAS NOT TO EXPORT PRISON MADE GOODS, BUT IT SEEMED CLEAR FROM EXAMPLES COLLECTED BY AMERICAN HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANISATIONS THAT THE POLICY WAS BEING BREACHED. WIEDERMANN SAID THE CHINESE OUGHT AT LEAST TO TAKE FIRMER STEPS TO IMPLEMENT THEIR POLICY.
4.
WIEDERMANN SAID THE PRESIDENT HAD STILL NOT DECIDED WHETHER
TO RECOMMEND RENEWAL. IT WAS BY NO MEANS CERTAIN THAT THE PRESIDENT COULD SUSTAIN A VETO ALTHOUGH WIEDERMANN CONCEDED THIS WAS HARD TO PREDICT SINCE, GIVEN THE CONGRESSIONAL TIMETABLE, A VETO FIGHT MIGHT NOT TAKE PLACE UNTIL SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER.
5. BUT THE PRESIDENT HAS GIVEN A CLEAR INDICATION OF HIS OWN VIEWS. AT A PRESS CONFERENCE FOR AGRICULTURAL CORRESPONDENTS ON 29 APRIL THE PRESIDENT SAID THAT ENDING ALL CONTACT, OR TRYING TO DRIVE THE CHINESE QUOTE TO THEIR KNEES ECONOMICALLY UNQUOTE WAS NOT THE WAY TO EFFECT CHANGE IN CHINA. THERE HAD BEEN PLENTY OF BENEFICIAL CHANGES IN CHINA, BUT THE ADMINISTRATION NATURALLY REMAINED VERY CONCERNED ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES.
THE PRESIDENT NOTED THAT THE POLICY OF TRYING TO MAINTAIN REASONABLE RELATIONS HAD PAID OFF DURING THE GULF WAR WHEN CHINA SUPPORTED THE UNSCR RESOLUTIONS. HE WISHED THE US/CHINA TRADE BALANCE WAS BETTER, BUT NO-ONE COULD LEGISLATE FOR THAT. HE HAD NOT YET DECIDED ON MFN RENEWAL, BUT HE EMPHASISED THAT IT WAS IN AMERICA'S INTEREST TO TRY TO WORK WITH PEKING.
6. BUT, IN A VIVID ILLUSTRATION OF THE BALANCING ACT THE ADMINISTRATION FEELS OBLIGED TO PERFORM, THESE REMARKS WERE FOLLOWED ON 30 APRIL BY THE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT THE PRESIDENT HAD DECIDED TO REFUSE LICENCES TO EXPORT SATELLITE COMPONENTS TO CHINA BECAUSE OF CONCERNS ABOUT POSSIBLE CHINESE EXPORT OF WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION.
7. MEANWHILE, CONGRESSWOMAN PELOSI (D-CALIFORNIA) HAS DRAFTED LEGISLATION WHICH WOULD SET CONDITIONS FOR MFN RENEWAL IN 1992. THESE WOULD REQUIRE THE PRESIDENT TO CERTIFY THAT ALL THOSE SENTENCED OR DETAINED AS A RESULT OF NON-VIOLENT EXPRESSION OF THEIR POLITICAL BELIEFS HAD BEEN RELEASED, THAT RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION IN THE PRC AND TIBET HAD BEEN STOPPED, RESTRICTIONS ON PRESS FREEDOM AND VOA BROADCASTS HAD BEEN LIFTED,
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