Facts Over Fear Win China PNTR Debate

WASHINGTON, D.C. – United States Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Donohue called today's bipartisan House vote granting permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) to China "a victory of fact over fear and a historic win for the American economy and our national security.

"The truth about free trade won today," said Donohue. "PNTR opens China's markets for American products, businesses and farmers, and creates jobs for workers here at home. Once Congress focused on the facts, no amount of union pressure to isolate this country could defeat the fact that this trade deal with China is in America's best interest.

"American business and workers – from the new economy to the old and the small to the large – clearly recognized the significance of this vote," he said. "As co-chair of the Business Coalition for U.S. – China Trade, we worked with a broad based group of supporters, from the grassroots to the Congress, to overcome an all-out blitz of misinformation by union leaders and their allies."

This was a bipartisan victory, Donohue concluded, and he commended members of Congress from both sides of the aisle, for many of whom "this was a particularly tough vote, given the tremendous pressure from the opponents of free trade."

The Chamber has actively supported the China trade deal by mobilizing a massive grassroots effort in 66 congressional districts, beginning over a year before the vote. In addition, 20 lobbyists fanned out across Capitol Hill organizing over 400 congressional meetings and more than 30 Chamber field staffers organized numerous events in targeted congressional districts.

"This vote recognizes that the China trade agreement is overwhelmingly in our favor. China's concessions are its price of admission to the WTO," said Donohue. "The choice was clear: embrace and benefit from China as a trading partner, or stick our heads in the sand and hope they go away. Congress made the right choice today."

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world's largest business federation representing more than three million businesses and organizations of every size, sector and region.

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