by Linda Smith - Special to The Seattle Times

June 4, 1997, (The Seattle Times) -- In this year's debate over the status of US/China relations, the president has left congress with only two options: either vote to extend most-favored-nation status (MFN) to China or not. Unfortunately, the president has presented us with a false choice. To make MFN the only way we can exert influence over China is to exhibit a stunning lack of diplomatic and historic vision.

It is vital that China be engaged. But just as Ronald Reagan refused to extend MFN ot the Soviet Union, he also used the full might of the executive branch to engage the Soiviet Union in dialogue. He used the bully pulpit of the presidency to decry the Soviet gulag system, human-rights abuses, and Soviet military adventurism in Afghanistan and around the world.

It is incumbent that President Clinton exhibit such vision and not make Chinese-American relations rise and fall solely on the issue of MFN. In addition, there are numerous issues that the president, individual members of Congress and the American people need to look at that are critical to the upcoming debate:

1) China continues unfair trade policies. Proponents of continuing MFN status of China say it merely normalizes trade in the same way that is done with many other countries. But trade between the two countries is anything but normal. In 1996, the U.S. trade deficit with China was $40 billion. The 1997 trade deficit is projected to be as high as $50 billion. While China is flooding the U.S. with low-cost goods, it has an average tariff on U.S. goods more than four times higher than the average U.S. tariff against Chinese goods. China, the largest remaining Communist country, also has a labor market that prohibits free and independent trade unions, keeping wages artificially low.

Compared to the open access the U.S. gives to Chinese goods, much of China's market is effectively closed to U.S. goods. China should be given low tariffs in the U.S. when the U.S. is given low tariffs in China. This is the basis of "normalized" international trade.

2) China demands technology transfers resulting in a loss of high-payingU.S. jobs. The Chinese government demands that compaines wishing to obtain access to the Chinese market not only build factories there, but also transfer state-of-the-art technology in order to do so. This technology is then used to build China's own industries. For example, Boeing used to manufacture 737 rear fuselage and tail sections solely at a plant in Wichita, Kan. Now, a plant in Xian, China, manufactures them. Workers in Xian earn $50 a month. Besides being forced to share this technology, America lost hundreds of well-paying jobs. Shipping good family-wage jobs overseas is bad for American workers.

3) China violates international agreements including intellectual property rights. China has consistently pirated U.S. software, videos and compact discs (CDs). It is the largest foreign pirate of U.S. intellectual property.

This cost the U.S. economy an estimated $2.3 billion in 1995 alone, including $1.75 billion for U.S. software manufacturers like Microsoft. Losses are not limited to the Chinese market alone; the illigal factories export a large share of their production to other countries, resulting in billions of dollars in lost sales for U.S. firms. Such piracy could be stopped by China's authoritarian communist government, but it chooses not to.

4) China supplies weapons of mass destruction to rogue nations. The Chinese government violates international protocols and sells dangerous technology to terrorist nations. This enables rogue states to develop weapons of mass destrucion. Specifically, China provided Iran with advanced C-802 anti-ship cruise missiles and chemical-weapons technology, provided Iraq and Libya materials to produce nuclear weapons and provided missile-related components to Syria.

5) China violates internationally recognized standards of human rights. Only eight years ago, on June 4, 1989, Beijing troops attacked students occupying Tiananmen Square, killing hundreds. Today, political prisoners continue to be arrested and killed. Freedom of religion is denied as millions of Buddhists, Muslims, Catholics and Protestants are persecuted for their faith. Tibetan culture is under constant assault. Freedom of assembly is restricted as citizens are told with whom they can and cannot meet. Freedom of privacy is violated as women are coerced to follow the "one woman/one child policy" through monitoring of their menstrual cycles and forced abortions. In fact, the State Department issued a recent report condemning China for squelching dissent. It concluded that essentially no democratic dissidents remain in China; they have all been jaild or exiled.

6) China may have attempted to buy U.S. influence by funneling illegal money to congressional and presidential campaigns in 1996. The FBI is currently investigating reports that Beijing directed an effort to illegally funnel millions of dollars into last year'ss congressional and presidential races. The evidence is overwhelming that China orchestrated campaign donations to a variety of politicians, including President Clinton. But China's money has its limits. A May NBC/Wall Street Journal poll showed that more than two-thirds of Americans opposed the extension of MFN to China.

Many Americans would say that any one of the above incidents would merit the withdrawal of most-favored-nation trade status for China. But the combination of all of them requires that Congress demonstrate leadership; and deny MFN to China at this time.

The United States relationship with China is bigger than most-favored-nation trade status. Mr. President, it is time to withdraw the flase choice you have given to the U.S. Congress and the American people. Ask the American people and their elected congressional leaders to approve MFN only after you forcefully represent fundamental American interests in China.

(Republican Linda Smith represents Washington's 3rd District in the U.S. House of Representatives).