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Diplomat urges US to grant PNTR
Serious results will follow if the United States Congress refuses to grant China permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) status, said Eugene Martin, charge d'affaires of the US Embassy in Beijing, and some experts from the Asia-Pacific region.
They made the comments here last Friday during a session of the US Asia Society's 11th Annual Corporate Conference.
In a round-table discussion, Marshall Bouton, executive vice-president of the society, asked participants to comment on the impact if the US Congress refuses to grant China PNTR status on a scale from one to 10. Martin said that he would choose eight. He explained that a refusal of PNTR status to China would mean isolating China, adding that it would also lose the broad basis for dialogue between the United States and China on a range of issues.
In addition, a refusal of the PNTR status will affect economic relations between the two countries, said Martin, adding that the US Government is doing its best to try to avoid such an outcome.
He said that he is "modestly optimistic" that the PNTR status will be passed.
Nayan Chanda, deputy chief editor of the Far East Economic Review, also chose eight. He said even if the US Congress fails to pass the PNTR status to China, China also can become a World Trade Organization member.
The United States will gradually realize the harm resulted from the disharmony of trade between the two countries, Chanda said. He added that he believes if the PNTR status is not passed this year, it will be granted next year.
Yoichi Funabashi, chief diplomatic correspondent and columnist of Asashi Shimbun, chose nine. He said that the failure of the PNTR passage will have negative impacts on both Japan-China and Japan-US relations.
Shen Dingli, professor and deputy director of the Centre for American Studies at the Shanghai-based Fudan University, chose between three and four. He said that if the PNTR status is passed, it would be a win-win result, explaining that the United States can gain immediate economic and trade benefits, while Chinese enterprises will be able to become more competitive in the long term. It would be the United States' own business if it decides to give up its trade interests.
Nicholas Platt, president of the society, said in an interview prior to the discussion he strongly supports granting China PNTR status. He stressed the development of US-China trade has become an irreversible trend, requiring the two countries to maintain normal trade and economic relations.
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