September 19, 2000 3:00pm EDT SENATE PASSES LANDMARK TRADE BILL The Senate passes legislation granting permanent normal trade status to China.

Online NewsHour Special Report: The China Trade Debate Q&A: PNTR Debate: * Free Trade * Human Rights * Labor Dec. 1, 1999: A discussion on China, trade and democracy Nov. 18, 1999: An interview with U.S. Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky Nov. 15, 1999: A discussion on the U.S.-China Trade deal. July 30, 1999: Beijing cracks down on the meditation group Falun Gong.

In an 83-15 vote, the Senate passed a landmark trade bill granting China permanent normalized trade relations. A major foreign policy victory for the Clinton administration, the bill ends yearly reviews of China's trade status and opens the vast Chinese market to U.S. businesses. The House approved the measure in May 237-197. The China trade issue sparked heated debate in both House and Senate, drawing sharp criticism from human rights groups and labor unions who fought unsuccessfully against the bill's passage. Human rights groups argued that yearly reviews of China's trade status are needed to keep pressure on China to improve human rights and religious freedom. Labor unions said the bill could cost Americans their jobs as Chinese goods flood the U.S. market. During Senate debate, critics tried to scuttle the bill by proposing amendments, one of which would have placed sanctions on China for making and selling nuclear weapons. All amendments were defeated. Critics are concerned that increased trade will not lead China to institute democratic reforms. "I fear that the benefits claimed to be derived from PNTR are really PR from the White House", said Senator Robert Byrd (D-W.Va). "They're selling us soap and we are lathering it up." At a press conference following the bill's passage, President Clinton told reporters, "This landmark agreement will extend economic prosperity at home and promote economic freedom in China, increasing the prospects for openness in China and a more peaceful future for all of us." The China bill is President Clinton's biggest trade policy victory since the 1993 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which eliminated trade barriers between Mexico, Canada, and the U.S.