March 13, 2000 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD Ð Extensions of Remarks E283 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS AUTHORIZING THE USE OF THE Organization (WTO) intensifies, I recommend tages Asian firms now enjoy in China. Every CAPITOL GROUNDS FOR THE to my colleagues and submit for the RECORD survey has demonstrated that working con- GREATER WASHINGTON SOAP the following commentary written by Leonard ditions and environmental standards in BOX DERBY plants run by West European and North Woodcock in the Los Angeles Times on March American firms are usually better than 9, 2000. A key lieutenant in the 1930's drive those in Asian and in indigenous Chinese HON. STENY H. HOYER to unionize the U.S. auto industry, Mr. firms. OF MARYLAND Woodcock rose in the union ranks to become The greater foreign presence also will ex- president of the United Auto Workers union pose Chinese workers to more ideas about or- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES from 1971±1977. Later that decade he served ganization and rights. That is perhaps one Monday, March 13, 2000 as the United States Ambassador to China. In- reason why almost every Chinese political deed, Mr. Woodcock is uniquely qualified to dissident who has spoken out on this issue Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to has called the U.S.-China WTO agreement once again introduce a resolution for the judge from a labor perspective the merits and good news for freedom in China. Greater Washington Soap Box Derby to hold impact of providing China with PNTR in the The trade deficit with China is a trouble- its race along Constitution Avenue. This bill context of the United States-China WTO bilat- some one to the labor movement. We need to will permit the 59th running of the Greater eral accession agreement. He supports the put it in perspective in two ways. First, if we Washington Soap Box Derby, which is to take agreement and PNTR status for China. There- were to block access of goods from China to place on the Capitol Grounds on Saturday, fore, Mr. Speaker, it is hard to understand why the U.S., this would not increase American June 24th, 2000. other labor leaders and their Democratic sup- jobs. That is because the Chinese exportsÐ porters in Congress cannot be as supportive mostly toys, tools, apparel, cheap elec- This resolution authorizes the Architect of tronics, etc.Ðwould be produced in other the Capitol, the Capitol Police Board, and the as is the former president of the United Auto low-wage countries, not in the U.S. Yet if Greater Washington Soap Box Derby Associa- Workers, Leonard Woodcock. China stopped buying from us, we would lose tion to negotiate the necessary arrangements [From the Los Angeles Times, Mar. 9, 2000] about 400,000 jobs, mostly high-wage. for carrying out running of the Greater Wash- EVOLUTION DOESN'T OCCUR OVERNIGHT Second, a large portion of exports from ``China'' are goods produced in the main in ington Soap Box Derby in complete compli- WTO AGREEMENT: ORGANIZED LABOR SHOULD Hong Kong, Taiwan and Southeast Asia. The ance with rules and regulations governing the SUPPORT IT. IT'S IN BOTH U.S. AND CHINESE use of the Capitol Grounds. major components are then shipped to China INTERESTS for final assembly and packaging, but the en- In the past, the full House has supported (By Leonard Woodcock) tire cost of the item (often only 15% of which this resolution once reported favorably by the The recent U.S.±China World Trade Organi- was contributed in China) is attributed to full Transportation Committee. I ask for my zation bilateral accession agreement appears China's export ledger. Exports to the U.S. colleagues to join with me, and Representa- to be good for workers in both countries. I from Hong Kong and Taiwan have declined tives ALBERT WYNN, CONNIE MORELLA, JIM was privileged, as U.S. ambassador to China, over the past decade almost as fast as im- MORAN, and TOM DAVIS, in supporting this res- to sign the 1979 trade agreement that pro- ports from China have increased. Yet the olution. vided for most-favored-nation trade status to companies making the profits are in Hong From 1992 to 1999, the Greater Washington China and have, as a private citizen, been in- Kong and Taiwan, and they will simply shift volved with this issue for many years. their operations to Vietnam or elsewhere if Soap Box Derby welcomed over 40 contest- American labor has a tremendous interest we close down exports from China. ants which made the Washington, DC race in China's trading on fair terms with the Americans are broadly concerned about one of the largest in the country. Participants U.S. The agreement we signed with China the rights and quality of life of Chinese citi- range from ages 9 to 16 and hail from com- this past November marks the largest single zens. My perspective on this serious issue is munities in Maryland, the District of Columbia step ever taken toward achieving that goal. influenced by my experience in the U.S. In and Virginia. The winners of this local event The agreement expands American jobs. And my lifetime, women were not allowed the will represent the Washington Metropolitan while China already enjoys WTO-based ac- vote, and labor was not allowed to organize. Area in the National Race, which will be held cess to our economy, this agreement will And, in my lifetime, although the law did open China's economy to unprecedented lev- not permit lynching, it was protected and in Akron, Ohio on July 22, 2000. els of American exports, many of which are carried out by legal officeholders. As time The Soap Box Derby provides our young high-quality goods produced by high-paying passed, we made progress, and I doubt if lec- people with an opportunity to gain valuable jobs. tures or threats from foreigners would have skills such as engineering and aerodynamics. There is reason to fear unfair trade prac- moved things faster. Furthermore, the Derby promotes team work, tices. Yet this agreement actually provides Democracy, including rights for workers, a strong sense of accomplishment, sportsman- better protections than our existing laws is an evolutionary process. Isolation and ship, leadership, and responsibility. These are allow. It stipulates 12 years of protections containment will not promote improved against market surges and provides unusu- positive attributes that we should encourage rights for a people. Rather, working together ally strong anti-dumping lawsÐwhich aim to and from within a society will, over time, children to carry into adulthood. counter unfairly priced importsÐfor 15 promote improved conditions. The U.S.- The young people involved spend months years. China WTO agreement will speed up the evo- preparing for this race, and the day that they I have, therefore, been startled by orga- lutionary process in China. American labor complete it makes it all the more worthwhile. nized labor's vociferous negative reaction to should support it because it is in our inter- f this agreement. The reality is that the U.S. ests, and it is the interests of Chinese work- as a whole benefits mightily from this his- ers too. FORMER UAW PRESIDENT UNDER- toric accord. The AFL±CIO argues that noth- f STANDS THAT PNTR FOR CHINA ing in this agreement demands that free IS IN AMERICA'S NATIONAL IN- trade unions be formed in China. Yet the PROFESSOR HELLE PORSDAM: A TEREST WTO does not require this of any of its 136 member countries, and the WTO is the wrong DISTINCTIVE INSIGHT ON AMER- instrument to use to achieve unionization. ICAN CULTURE AND THE LAW HON. DOUG BEREUTER We should, instead, be asking a more im- portant question: Are Chinese workers better OF NEBRASKA HON. TOM LANTOS off with or without this agreement? The an- OF CALIFORNIA IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES swer is that this agreement, in a variety of Monday, March 13, 2000 ways, will be enormously beneficial to Chi- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES nese workers. Monday, March 13, 2000 Mr. BEREUTER. Mr. Speaker, as the de- On a subtle level, the changes the agree- bate on providing China with Permanent Nor- ment requires of China's economic system Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to mal Trade Relations (PNTR) status condi- will work in favor of investment by Western urge my colleagues to take notice of the work tioned on China's entry into the World Trade firms and take away some of the key advan- of a talented Danish scholar, Professor Helle ∑ This ``bullet'' symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. VerDate 13<MAR>2000 02:24 Mar 14, 2000 Jkt 079060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0626 Sfmt 9920 E:\CR\FM\A13MR8.000 pfrm06 PsN: E13PT1 E284 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD Ð Extensions of Remarks March 13, 2000 Porsdam of Denmark's Odense University. Dr. following votes: Rollcall Nos. 29Ð``aye''; 30Ð bravery and patriotism of the 5.72 million men Porsdam's book, Legally Speaking: Contem- ``aye''; 31Ð``aye''; 32Ð``aye''; and 33Ð``aye''. and women who fought bravely in that conflict. porary American Culture and the Law, which f I have spoken with many New Jerseyans who was recently published by the University of served in the Korean war, and I can tell you, Massachusetts Press, offers evidence of her IN RECOGNITION OF THE BROOK- this tribute is long overdue.