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“WHAT DO WE WANT CHINA TO BE 20 YEARS FROM NOW OR EVEN 50 YEARS FROM NOW?” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H2181-H2182 on April 12, 2000.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
WHAT DO WE WANT CHINA TO BE 20 YEARS FROM NOW OR EVEN 50 YEARS FROM
NOW?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the gentleman from California (Mr. Cunningham) is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I would like to associate myself with the remarks of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, remembering the genocide of the Armenians, but I would like to add this: that there are Armenian children dying today in Armenia. While other nations brutalize Armenia, the White House and State Department cut funds for Armenia. They are not the only White House and State Department to do so, but there is enough of us, instead of making just a resolution, to make a binding resolution for the White House to do something about it.
Also, I should speak to another event I had not planned on speaking to tonight, but I actually resent some of the statements made earlier tonight. My wife and daughters attend Catholic mass at Saint James Parish, and the speaker of this House took the well and shamed those Democrats that would use religion for political gain. I heard this again tonight. I ask the minority leader to ask to put an end to their side of using religion for politics. It does not belong in this Chamber. I have attended events at synagogues, at parishes and churches, but what I would not attend is a fund-raiser at a Buddhist temple.
The real reason I came tonight, Mr. Speaker, was to talk about PNTR for China. I would like to present some thoughts. China is a rogue nation. The issue generates strong-held opinions on both sides and both Republicans and Democrats are split on this particular issue. Even myself, I personally struggled, knowing what a rogue nation that China is, the human rights violations, the national security threats, and what does it mean applying PNTR to China.
Communication is the shortest distance between two points of view, and I know that my mother, my children and many Americans, if they never hear some of the positive points, they are most likely not going to support trade with China.
I would like to present a couple of those ideas. I recently traveled to Vietnam with the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Rogers) and some of my Democrat colleagues. We were there at the request of Pete Peterson, a fellow member that used to reside in this House, is now the ambassador to Vietnam. I was asked to help raise the flag over North Vietnam for the first time in 25 years. It was very difficult; but while we were there, we stopped in Hanoi, and we had a chat with the Communist minister, the head of Vietnam.
I asked a question. I said, Mr. Minister, why will you not engage in trade with Vietnam? And his answer was pretty forthcoming. He said, Congressman, trade to a Communist means that people will start privatizing and having their own things; and if trade is followed through in Vietnam, then we as Communists will no longer have power.
At that moment I said, trade is good.
What do we want China to be 20 years from now or even 50 years from now, Mr. Speaker? I was in China some 20 years ago, and I want to say they have come a long way in 20 years, and it is not the same China as it was before. One sees democracy sprouting up. One sees things like Tianenmen Square and people fighting for democracy. Democracy and freedom are viruses to the Communist Chinese. The more that we can inject that into China, the more that their leaders go along with a better economy.
China is riding a tiger. There are still those that want, by totalitarian rule, to control with national defense and hold people under the state command; but also the dictatorship there today understands that the economy is important to China. Taiwan supports trade in PNTR. Why? Taiwan knows that it will bring China more toward the United States and more toward a democracy instead of more toward Communism. It is in their best interest, and Taiwan supports it.
We just attended a brief, many of us, by Brent Scowcroft. He said there are no downsides to PNTR; that this is about U.S. products going to China. China's products already come to the United States, and there is a trade deficit.
What do we want 20 years from now if we do not trade with China? It will be a negative, and we foster Communism instead of a good economy for both.
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