Week of March 17, 2000
Week of March 17, 2000
The U.S. and China This Week
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US-CHINA RELATIONS: Daley Warns that PNTR Vote Must Take Place By June 3
SUMMARY: US Commerce Secretary William Daley, one of the Clinton
Administration officials leading the initiative to gain support for passing
permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) with China in Congress, warned in a
March 13 speech that the legislation would not be approved if the vote does
not take place by June 3. During his remarks at the conference addressing
wheat growers, Daley stated that the administration’s current efforts to
help secure PNTR status for China would be "dead in the water" if nothing
happens by this time. The vote in Congress on PNTR, which would enact the
landmark bilateral trade agreement between the United States and China and
signify US endorsement of China’s entry into the World Trade Organization
(WTO), is still unscheduled.
Daley further suggested that, "Once the annual trade relations debate
begins, I think it gets markedly more difficult." Many analysts agree,
claiming that the closer we get to the annual debate on renewing NTR
(formerly MFN) with China and the presidential elections, the PNTR vote in
Congress will become only more complicated.
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CROSS-STRAIT RELATIONS: Zhu Rongji Delivers Ultimatum to Taiwan on Election
SUMMARY: Three days before the presidential elections in Taiwan,
Chinese Prime Minister Zhu Rongji delivered the latest PRC government
warning to the people of Taiwan not to elect a candidate that will lead
Taiwan along the path of independence from the mainland. In his statement
to a group of foreign reporters at the National People’s Congress, Zhu
warned Taiwan voters to "not just act on impulse at this juncture, which
will decide the future course that China and Taiwan will follow. Otherwise
I’m afraid you won’t get another opportunity to regret."
Like other threats made by the China’s government, Zhu’s remarks were geared
towards dissuading Taiwanese from supporting Chen Shui-bian, the presidential
candidate most closely associated with an independent future for Taiwan.
Zhu’s warning comes after repeated declarations from Beijing, beginning with
the February 21 white paper, that China will use military force to reunify
Taiwan with the mainland if independence is formally declared or negotiations
are indefinitely postponed.
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US-CHINA RELATIONS/TAIWAN: Cohen Sees No Sign of Attack of Taiwan by China
SUMMARY: On the eve of the second presidential elections in Taiwan,
US Defense Secretary William Cohen expressed that there is no indication
that China is preparing to attack the island despite the Beijing’s threats
of violence over the past several weeks. Since the Chinese government white
paper was released on February 21, China has threatened that it will use
military force to reunify Taiwan with the mainland if reunification
negotiations are indefinitely postponed, independence is formally declared,
or if a pro-independence candidate wins the elections.
At the news conference, Cohen stated, "We do not see any evidence of
preparation for attack, any imminent attack. What we do see is a war of
words." He further stated that China’s usage of verbal pressure rather than
force, like during the elections in 1996, "showed there has been some
progress." Also, Cohen noted that the United States has reiterated previous
warnings to China not to use military force and that the United States does
not support an independent Taiwan, but does urge a peaceful resolution to
the reunification issue.
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The U.S. and China This Week
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Last updated: 17 March 2000
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