The United States Chamber of Commerce strongly favors a swift vote on permanent Normal Trade Relations (NTR) with China, and applauds the Clinton Administration's plan to provide greater support on the issue, a press release issued by the chamber said Monday.

"The chamber welcomes the administration's announcement that they will aggressively pursue early congressional action on permanent NTR for China," said Thomas Donohue, president and chief executive officer of the US Chamber of Commerce.

"Commerce Secretary Bill Deley and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Steve Ricchetti's appointment to the president's task force on China NTR will be a valuable addition to the business community's efforts on Capitol Hill," said Donohue.

Earlier on Monday, President Bill Clinton promised an "all-out" campaign to win congressional approval for the agreement reached between the US and China last year on China's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO) and designated Deley and Ricchetti to lead the effort.

"This is something that is in the national interest ... It should be scheduled for a vote at the earliest possible time, and if we do that, I think we've got an excellent chance to pass it," Clinton told reporters at the White House.

The US-China trade deal is a major victory for American consumers and businesses, the press release said. It lowers barriers and tariffs for a variety of American goods and services and brings China into the rules-based community of trading nations.

"The US-China trade deal is a landmark opportunity to open up China's vast market to American companies of all sizes, while ensuring that China abides by international rules and regulations," said Donohue.

"The Chamber will make sure Congress understands that lower trade barriers and tariffs mean new opportunities for businesses, more jobs, better wages and economic growth."

The US Chamber of Commerce is a business federation representing more than 3 million businesses and organizations. (Xinhua)