CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE April 25, 2001
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6190 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE April 25, 2001 Davis (FL) Kildee Pelosi A NEW CHINA POLICY only after many months we returned Davis (IL) Kilpatrick Peterson (MN) the plane to Russia, in crates. DeFazio Kind (WI) Phelps The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a DeGette Kleczka Pomeroy previous order of the House, the gen- Although there is no doubt that we Delahunt Kucinich Price (NC) tleman from Texas (Mr. PAUL) is recog- technically have legal grounds for DeLauro LaFalce Rahall making these flights, the question real- Deutsch Lampson nized for 5 minutes. Rangel ly is whether or not it is wise to do so Dicks Langevin Reyes Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, President Dingell Lantos Rivers Bush deserves much credit for the han- or necessary for our national security. Doggett Larsen (WA) Rodriguez dling of the spy plane crisis. However, Actually, a strong case can be made Dooley Larson (CT) Ross Doyle Lee he has received significant criticism that our national security is more Rothman from some of his own political sup- threatened by our patrolling the Chi- Dreier Levin Rush Edwards Lewis (GA) Sabo porters for saying he was very sorry for nese coast than if we avoided such Engel Lipinski Sanders the incident. This seems a very small flights altogether. Eshoo Lofgren Sawyer Evans Lowey price to pay for the safe return of 24 After a half century, it is time to re- Schakowsky Farr Luther American military personnel. assess the need for such flights. Sat- Schiff Fattah Maloney (NY) Scott Trade with China, though, should be ellite technology today gives us the Filner Markey Serrano credited with helping to resolve this Ford Mascara ability to watch and to listen to almost Frank Matheson Shaw crisis. President Bush in the diplo- everyone on Earth. If there is a precise Frost Matsui Slaughter matic handling of this event avoided need for this type of surveillance for Gephardt McCarthy (MO) Smith (WA) overly strong language and military Snyder the benefit of Taiwan, then the Tai- Gillmor McCollum threats which would have done nothing Gonzalez McDermott Solis wanese ought to be involved in this ac- Hastings (FL) McGovern Spratt to save the lives of these 24 Americans. tivity, not American military per- Hill McKinney Stark This confrontation, however, pro- sonnel. Hilliard McNulty Stenholm vides an excellent opportunity for us to Strickland Hinchey Meehan reevaluate our policy toward China and b 1330 Hinojosa Meek (FL) Stupak Hoeffel Meeks (NY) Tanner other nations. Although trade with We should not feel so insecure that Holden Menendez Tauscher China for economic reasons encourages we need to threaten and intimidate Holt Millender- Thomas both America and China to work for a Thompson (CA) other countries in order to achieve Honda McDonald resolution of the spy plane crisis, our Hooley Miller, George Thompson (MS) some vague psychological reassurance Hostettler Mink Thurman trading status with China should be re- that we are still the top military power Houghton Mollohan Tierney considered. in the world. This is unnecessary and Hoyer Moore Towns Mr. Speaker, what today is called may well represent a weakness rather Hyde Morella Turner ‘‘free trade’’ is not exactly that. Al- Inslee Murtha Udall (CO) than a strength. Israel Nadler Udall (NM) though we engage in trade with China, The Taiwanese Relations Act essen- Jackson (IL) Napolitano Vela´ zquez it is subsidized to the tune of many bil- tially promises that we will defend Tai- Jackson-Lee Neal Visclosky lions of dollars through the Export-Im- (TX) Oberstar Waters wan at all costs and should be reevalu- Jefferson Obey Watt (NC) port Bank, the most of any country in ated. Morally and constitutionally a Johnson (CT) Olver Waxman the world. treaty cannot be used to commit us to Johnson, E. B. Ortiz Weiner We also have been careless over the war at some future date. One genera- Jones (OH) Owens Wexler last several years in allowing our mili- tion cannot declare war for another. Kanjorski Pascrell Woolsey tary secrets to find their way into the Kaptur Pastor Wu Making an open-ended commitment to Kennedy (RI) Payne Wynn hands of the Chinese government. At go to war, promising troops, money the same time we subsidize trade with NOT VOTING—11 and weapons is not permitted by the China, including sensitive military Constitution. Capps McHugh Smith (TX) technology, we also build up the Tai- Cooksey Moakley Vitter It is clear that war can be declared Gutierrez Moran (VA) Watts (OK) wanese military, while continuing to only by a Congress currently in office. Hall (OH) Roybal-Allard patrol the Chinese border with our spy Declaring war cannot be circumvented planes. It is a risky, inconsistent pol- b 1322 by a treaty or agreement committing icy. us towards some future date. If a pre- Messrs. FORD of Tennessee, The question we must ask ourselves CUMMINGS, TURNER, ACKERMAN, is how would we react if we had Chi- vious treaty can commit future genera- and THOMAS changed their vote from nese airplanes flying up and down our tions to war, the House of Representa- ‘‘yea’’ to ‘‘nay.’’ coast and occupying the air space of tives, the body closest to the people, Messrs. PORTMAN, BARTLETT of the Gulf of Mexico? We must realize would never have a say in the most im- Maryland, and MCKEON changed their that China is a long way from the U.S. portant issue of declaring war. vote from ‘‘nay’’ to yea.’’ and is not capable nor is showing any We must continue to believe and be So, two-thirds not having voted in confident that trading with China is favor thereof, the joint resolution was signs of launching an attack on any sovereign territory of the United beneficial to America. Trade between not passed. Taiwan and China already exists and The result of the vote was announced States. Throughout all of China’s his- tory, she has never pursued military should be encouraged. It is a fact that as above recorded. trade did help to resolve this current A motion to reconsider was laid on adventurism far from her own borders. conflict without a military confronta- the table. That is something that we cannot say tion. Mr. WATTS of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, I about our own policy. China tradition- Concern about our negative trade was unavoidably detained and missed the ally has only fought for secure borders, balance with the Chinese is irrelevant. vote on final passage of H.J. Res. 41, the Tax predominantly with India, Russia, Limitation Constitutional Amendment (recorded Japan, and in Korea against the United Balance of payments are always in bal- vote No. 87). If I had not been detained, I States, and that was only when our ance. For every dollar we spend in would have voted ‘‘aye’’ on this important bill. troops approached the Yalu River. China, those dollars must come back to America. Maybe not buying American f It should not go unnoticed that there was no vocal support from any of our goods as some would like, but they do SPECIAL ORDERS allies for our spy missions along the come back as they serve to finance our The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Chinese coast. None of our allies both- current account deficit. SHAYS). Under the Speaker’s an- ered to condemn the action of the Chi- Free trade, it should be argued, is nounced policy of January 3, 2001, and nese military aircraft, although it beneficial even when done unilaterally, under a previous order of the House, technically was cause of the accident. providing a benefit to our consumers. the following Members will be recog- Do not forget that when a Russian But we should take this opportunity to nized for 5 minutes each. aircraft landed in Japan in 1976, it was point out clearly and forcefully the VerDate jul 14 2003 10:21 Feb 21, 2005 Jkt 089102 PO 00000 Frm 00023 Fmt 0688 Sfmt 0634 E:\BR01\H25AP1.000 H25AP1 April 25, 2001 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE 6191 foolishness of providing subsidies to moval of those missiles. It could be argued policy ought to be spelled out and submitted the Chinese through such vehicles as that the fact that our missiles were in Turkey to the American people for approval. the Export-Import Bank. We should be and pointed at the Soviets was more of a First, some people irately took issue with my calling the airplane a ‘‘spy plane.’’ It is adamantly opposed to sending military threat to our national security because that not, they stoutly contend, because it is technology to such a nation or to any motivated the Soviets to put their missiles in overtly intercepting electronic signals. nation, for that matter. Cuba. It would do no harm to our national se- Let’s suppose a clearly marked police van It is interesting to note that recent curity for us to quietly, in time, stop the poten- parked on the public street in front of your reports reveal that missiles coming tially dangerous and unnecessary spy mis- house. Let’s suppose the officers began to from Israel and financed by American sions that we have pursued for over 50 years intercept your telephone calls, whatever in- foreign aid were seen on the fighter along the Chinese border. formation appeared on your computer screen plane that caused the collision. It James Bamford recently wrote in The New and even your verbal conversations. Now, York Times of an episode that occurred in would you feel spied upon or would you say, should be equally clear that arming the ‘‘Hey, that’s only electronic intercepts, and enemies of our trading partners does 1956 when Eisenhower was president.