Saturday May 19, 2001

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. congressional leaders on Friday pushed ahead with plans for a watchdog commission to monitor human rights in China, potentially adding a new irritant to Sino-U.S. relations.

Senate Republican Leader Trent Lott of Mississippi tapped Sen. Chuck Hagel, a senior Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee, as chairman of the 23-member panel, which will keep tabs on Chinese political prisoners and document alleged abuses of human rights and religious freedoms.

Established under a landmark U.S.-China trade bill approved last year, the commission will issue annual reports -- the first of which is due on Oct. 10 -- based on its findings.

Over objections from Beijing, the commission could recommend sanctions and other legislative actions, so long as they are consistent with World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.

[...]

"It is clear that we will be dealing with a somewhat ambiguous and inherently unstable relationship with China for some time to come," Hagel said in a statement.

"I look forward to studying how we might further our goal of helping the Chinese people gain greater protection for their basic rights and strengthen their legal system," the Nebraska lawmaker added.

In addition to human rights, the commission will monitor legal reforms undertaken as part of Beijing's bid to join the WTO, which sets global trading rules.

The commission was proposed as part of last year's landmark trade bill at the urging of pro-trade Democrats, who demanded continued oversight of Beijing's human rights record in exchange for supporting permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) for China.

PNTR was meant to end the 20-year-old annual ritual of reviewing China's trade status and to guarantee Chinese goods the same low-tariff access to the U.S. market as products from nearly every other nation.

In exchange for the benefits, China agreed to open a wide range of markets from agriculture to telecommunications under terms of a landmark agreement.

But PNTR was contingent on Beijing becoming a member of the Geneva-based WTO, and those negotiations have yet to wrap up.

Due to the delay, President George W. Bush will be forced in June under U.S. law to seek a one-year extension of Beijing's trade benefits, setting the stage for another contentious congressional review and vote.

In addition to appointing Hagel as chairman, Lott named Republican Sens. Sam Brownback of Kansas, Tim Hutchinson of Arkansas, Gordon Smith of Oregon and Bob Smith of New Hampshire to the commission.

Once complete, the panel will include nine members of the Senate, nine members of the House of Representatives, one representative each from the departments of State, Commerce and Labor, and two Bush administration appointees.

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/010518/3/pkqm.html