The Human Rights Brief is a publication of The Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law at Washington College of Law, American University. Please note that this is copyrighted material. Feel free to download and read articles from The Brief, but these materials may not be republished or reposted without the written permission of The Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law.

POINT/COUNTERPOINT

Trade with China -- Human Rights and MFN

By Samir Desai

On June 3rd, the Clinton Administration will decide whether China's human rights record merits the renewal of its Most-Favored-Nation (MFN) trading privileges. The resolution of the issue will have important ramifications for the economies of both nations. China is the United States' third-largest trading partner and enjoys a $22.7 billion trade surplus. Its economy has averaged 9.4% growth per year since 1980, recording 13.7% in the fourth quarter of the last term.

Revoking MFN outright would raise tariffs on Chinese products five to ten times. The World Bank estimates that this could cut Chinese exports to the US by 42-96%. Retaliation by the Chinese could affect an estimated 200,000 American jobs if $9 billion in exports to China were reduced.

The US State Department reported on February 1 that "[t]he [Chinese] government's overall human rights record in 1993 fell far short of internationally accepted norms as it continued to repress domestic critics and failed to control abuses by its own security forces." Over a dozen dissidents are known to have been threatened, detained or relocated in the week prior to Secretary of State Warren Christopher's visit to Beijing on March 11 of this year. President Clinton recently agreed to meet with the Dalai Lama on his next visit to the US to discuss China's conduct in Tibet.



POINT: Human Rights First

Richard Dicker is Associate Counsel for Human Rights Watch. His piece, prepared specially for the Brief is adapted from "Debating China: Human Rights First," which appears in the Spring 1994 issue of Foreign Policy.



COUNTERPOINT: More Bull From the China Shop

Wendell Willkie was general counsel at the Department of Commerce during the Bush Administration. His article is adapted from "More Bull From the China Shop: Why Talking Tough on Trade Blocks the Path to Social Reform," which appeared on March 13, 1994 in The Washington Post.

Point/Counterpoint is a regular feature of The Human Rights Brief. The purpose of the section is to encourage meaningful, intellectual discussion on contemporary issues in human rights and humanitarian law through the presentation of two diverse, though not necessarily opposing, opinions on the subject at hand. Commentaries for the Point/Counterpoint section are generally solicited by The Brief; however, the Editorial Board welcomes submissions, comments and suggestions. The newsletter does not facilitate exchange of the authors' compositions prior to publication. The views expressed in the Point/Counterpoint section are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of The Human Rights Brief, the Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, or their Directors or staff.

©Copyright 1994 The Human Rights Brief

Next Article
Previous Article
Return to this issue's Table of Contents
Return to The Human Rights Brief Home Page