Published by: World Tibet Network News 97/05/21 08:00 GMT

07:00 p.m May 19, 1997 Eastern

WASHINGTON (Reuter) - Opponents of U.S. trade concessions to China are expected to mount the fiercest congressional battle in years to overturn President Clinton's decision to renew China's favored trading status.

While supporters of the president's decision Monday to renew China's most favored nation (MFN) status for another year remain confident of victory, opponents -- ranging from social conservatives to organized labor -- are

revving up for a fight.

The unusual coalition is blasting the move from both sides of the political

spectrum, hitting China's policies on human rights, labor rights, religious

rights, trade and abortion.

Opponents are also gathering strength from worries over the transfer this summer

of Hong Kong to China, as well as the brouhaha over charges that Beijing tried

to sway U.S. elections through illegal campaign contributions.

``With Hong Kong and campaign finance lurking in the background, it will

definitely be a tougher fight,'' a congressional aide, who requested anonymity,

said. ``A lot depends on what happens between now and the vote.''

Another congressional aide said, ``The coalition of the AFL-CIO and social

conservatives makes for a potent force.''

House Speaker Newt Gingrich said this year's decision would be closer than last

year's 286-141 vote in the House to back Clinton on MFN. But advocates and even

opponents expect the president's policy ultimately to survive.

Even if lawmakers muster enough votes to reject the president's decision --

which is considered unlikely -- opponents doubt they could round up the

two-thirds vote needed to override an expected veto from Clinton.

Congress later this summer will vote on whether to overturn Clinton's decision,

with the House voting first.

``The opponents have a better chance than they have had in the past several

years. But it still may not be enough of a margin to withstand a veto,'' said

Thea Lee, international expert at the AFL-CIO, which opposes MFN status for

China.

But even a defeat for MFN's opponents could amount to a sort of victory if the

vote is close enough.

``It represents an important turning point in the growing uneasiness among both

Democrats and Republicans over the current China trade policy,'' Lee said.

Gary Bauer, president of the conservative Family Research Council, said: ``The

president's action represents the high-water mark of the pro-MFN forces. As the

truth of the human rights violations in China reaches the American public, the

case for MFN collapses.''

A sign Clinton will face tougher sledding emerged a week ago, when an

influential House Republican leader urged the president to revoke China's MFN

status, citing Beijing's record on human rights, weapon sales and trade.

Rep. Bill Paxon of New York, a Gingrich ally who chairs meetings of the

Republican House leadership team, said current U.S. policy had yielded only ``a

Chinese regime which thumbs its nose at the United States and places its heel

on the neck of freedom.''

Democratic lawmakers echo that view.

Since Clinton ``delinked trade from human rights three years ago, the human

rights situation in China and Tibet has deteriorated, the U.S. trade deficit

with China has soared, and China's authoritarian government has continued its

sale of nuclear, chemical, missile and biological weapons technology to

dangerous countries, including Iran,'' Rep. Nancy Pelosi, a California

Democrat, said.

But supporters of the administration's policy remain confident. ``In the end,

the votes will be there for MFN,'' said Calman Cohen of the Emergency Committee

for American Trade, representing the heads of big U.S. corporations.