Congress Should Put First Things First High Stakes Changing Status Will End Leverage.

In two weeks Congress will decide whether to grant a trade agreement with China. The agreement would reduce Chinese trade barriers, give Beijing permanent normal trade relations with the U.S. and allow for China’s entry into the World Trade Organization.

Congress should not approve this trade agreement without specific, verifiable concessions from the Chinese government concerning human rights.

We are not against free trade; we are for the humane treatment of people. If our government gives permanent trade status to China, we lose any leverage to force changes in Chinese human rights violations such as exploitation of prison labor, holding criminal suspects in labor camps for years without trial, coercive family planning, human organ trafficking, child labor with no governing laws and holding political prisoners.

Religious persecution is another problem. The Chinese government sanctions only five religions: Buddhism, Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism and Taoism. Other religions are persecuted by the government. In January, 14-year-old Ugyen Trinley Dorje, the third most powerful religious figure in Tibet, fled Chinese Tibet. He fled on foot because he was repeatedly denied access to teachers, refused permission to leave China and he feared repression. The religious Falun Gong meditation movement was declared illegal last July. More than 1,500 practitioners have been jailed since with some Falun Gong leaders sentenced to 18 years in prison - all for practicing a nonsanctioned religion.

What does this have to do with trade? China is financially motivated to join the WTO. Once we grant permanent trade status there is little incentive for China to improve its human rights record. If we are truly committed to human rights we need to maintain some leverage.

We want to sell wheat, airplanes, apples and information technology to China. But not for a human price tag.

On Tuesday, key House members agreed on separate legislation to monitor China’s human rights record, as well as Beijing’s compliance with WTO rules. If members of Congress feel uneasy enough about Chinese compliance to draft separate legislation, they should have the guts to make it an integral part of the deal.

The Chinese government’s actions regarding child labor, treatment of prisoners and religious persecution should be addressed before any trade agreement with China is approved.