May 19, 1998

MEMORANDUM TO: OPINION LEADERS

FROM: GARY SCHMITT

SUBJECT: Congress and U.S.-China Policy

Last week, the Senate took two modest but important steps toward correcting the administration's dismal handling of U.S.-China relations. On Thursday, the Senate approved two amendments, both sponsored by Sen. Tim Hutchinson (R-AR), to the 1999 defense authorization bill. The first measure requires the executive branch to publish a list of Chinese military firms operating in the U.S. and empowers the president to regulate their activities here; the second provides funding to help block the importation of products made with Chinese forced labor. Both measures had passed the House overwhelmingly last year, as part of a package of ten bills crafted by Rep. Christopher Cox (R-CA). Since then, the other eight bills have been sitting in the Foreign Relations Committee's in-box.

The Senate should pass the remaining measures before President Clinton travels to China in late June — not only because the bills are sound, but also because China is more likely to behave itself when it fears congressional action. Following Tiananmen Square, congressional pressure in the form of sanctions and the threatened revocation of China’s most-favored-nation status resulted in Beijing making concessions in a number of areas, including the release of hundreds of political prisoners. If the Congress really wants a China policy that puts American security and principles first, then it will need to enact specific legislation to counter the administration's dubious policy of providing China with increased privileges and goods in exchange for Chinese promises of future good behavior.

Of particular urgency in this regard is the administration's push for an agreement at the upcoming summit in which China would be given greatly expanded access to U.S. "civilian" rocket and space technology in exchange for agreeing to join the international Missile Technology Control Regime. However, the evidence of prior "cooperation" by U.S. satellite makers with China to help it launch American satellites suggests that such cooperation may come at very high price to U.S. national security. Until Congress has completed its investigation of what happened in the Loral Space/Hughes Electronics case, Congress should amend the defense authorization bill now under consideration in both houses to prohibit the Clinton Administration from implementing any new agreement with China involving cooperation in the areas of space and missile technology. This would be a solid first step in halting any further damage the Clinton Administration might do to U.S. national security.