Congressional Delegation Tours China to Boost Trade Bill
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN ANCHOR: An upcoming vote in the House of Representatives on whether to establish permanent normal trade relations with China is expected to be close. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman is leading a congressional delegation to China this week, working to boost support for the trade bill. CNN's Beijing bureau chief Rebecca MacKinnon reports.</s>REBECCA MACKINNON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This small group of U.S. congressmen is more interested in PNTR, permanent normal trade relations for China.</s>DAN GLICKMAN, AGRICULTURE SECRETARY: If we do not pass the PNTR, we leave ourselves on the outside looking in. Inviting our competitors to take advantage of the terms we negotiated and capture the market share that should be ours.</s>MACKINNON: U.S. business people and the Department of Agriculture urged them to vote "yes" next month and give U.S. companies better access to the Chinese market. For the representatives from Oregon and Washington State, it was a no-brainer. But as their group made the rounds of Chinese government offices and local businesses, congressman Reuben Hinojosa, from a poor district in Texas, and Gregory Meeks from New York City, wanted to know how trade with China will help ordinary folks in both countries.</s>REP. REUBEN HINOJOSA (D), TEXAS: And until I hear it from both the United States government and the Chinese government, am I going to be satisfied? I am difficult to please.</s>REP. GREGORY MEEKS (D), NEW YORK: Let me ask you just one other quick question, what do you think about the Chinese government?</s>MACKINNON: Congressman Meeks slipped away from the entourage to talk to ordinary people.</s>MEEKS: You know, I was surprised, not only from those who were educated, but even those that were uneducated, the migrant workers, saw this as an opportunity for them to increase their income.</s>MACKINNON: The congressmen rounded out their trip by calling on China's chief Taiwan negotiator to peacefully ease tensions with the island and at Shanghai's main cathedral, Catholic church leaders told them more open markets and trade will also make China's leaders more open to religious believers. But the two undecided congressmen say they won't make up their minds on whether to vote "yes" or "no" on PNTR until they've spoken to their constituents back home. (on camera): The U.S. business community is keeping its fingers crossed that they'll vote yes, because Chinese authorities have already warned that if China doesn't get permanent normal trade relations, there will be negative repercussions for U.S. companies. Rebecca MacKinnon, CNN, Shanghai.