Published by: World Tibet Network News Sunday - September 14, 1997

WASHINGTON, Sept 11 (Reuter) - Senators on Thursday launched an effort to overhaul U.S. policy towards China by introducing legislation that seeks to mold Beijing's behavior through sanctions linked to specific policies.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers, including Republican Sen. Jesse Helms of North Carolina, the powerful chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, has fashioned the China Policy Act of 1997 in the hope of moving Sino-American ties beyond annual debates over Beijing's trade status.

The bill contains a number of provisions aimed at promoting human rights, religious freedom and democracy, while deterring actions with the potential to destabilize U.S. security interests in the Asian-Pacific region.

Its sponsors, including Wisconsin Democrat Russ Feingold, denounced the Clinton administration's policy of constructive engagement as "convenient appeasement" and declared the U.S. response to China's alleged human rights violations "pitifully inadequate."

Describing China as having a "kaleidoscope of problems," Feingold told a news conference he could find no evidence -- even after years of "so-called" constructive engagement -- that China had made any meaningful progress on any of them.

"Flagrant abuse of human rights, a brutal occupation of Tibet, the curtailment of civil liberties in Hong Kong, slave labor, nuclear proliferation, unfair trade practices, rampant copyright piracy -- the list goes on and on," he said.

The legislation would deny U.S. visas to high ranking Chinese government officials involved in political and religious persecution and increase and enhance human rights monitoring.

To combat the use of slave labor it would tighten enforcement of a ban on goods made in Chinese prison labor camps. In addition, the bill would require U.S. officials at multilateral development banks to vote "no" on all loans to China except for projects related to famine, disasters or environmental safeguards.

It also includes sanctions punishing companies controlled by the Chinese People's Liberation Army engaging in unlawful arms sales or espionage in the United States, addresses proliferation issues and tightens controls on the export of supercomputers to China.

"This bill represents a consensus approach and it combines incentives and disincentives designed to steer China toward internal liberalization and constructive participation in the international community," Republican Sen. Spencer Abraham of Michigan told reporters.

Sponsors of the measure said they wanted to steer Washington's China policy in a new direction by offering realistic and creative alternatives to revoking Beijing's Most Favored Nation trading privileges.

Although Congress approved President Clinton's annual request to renew China's trade status, lawmakers have been unable to reach agreement on whether or not MFN is the best tool for pressing for improvements in human rights. MFN grants China the same trading privileges as most other nations.

Many believe it is too blunt an instrument, with renewal often seen as rewarding Beijing in spite of its human rights record, but revocation regarded as a drastic and counter-productive step.

"MFN debates have been characterized by good points on both sides, but box us into a narrow consideration of relations with China," Abraham said.

The new legislation has especially strong support among Republicans and Helms has announced his committee will hold a hearing on it next week.