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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary


For Immediate Release May 28, 1993

EXECUTIVE ORDER


                      CONDITIONS FOR RENEWAL OF
                 MOST FAVORED NATION STATUS FOR THE
                 PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA IN 1994

WHEREAS, the Congress and the American people have expressed deep concern about the appropriateness of unconditional most-favored-nation (MFN) trading status for the People's Republic of China (China);

WHEREAS, I share the concerns of the Congress and the American people regarding this important issue, particularly with respect to China's record on human rights, nuclear nonproliferation, and trade;

WHEREAS, I have carefully weighed the advisability of conditioning China's MFN status as a means of achieving progress in these areas;

WHEREAS, I have concluded that the public interest would be served by a continuation of the waiver of the application of sections 402 (a) and (b) of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2432(a) and 2432(b)) (Act) on China's MFN status for an additional 12 months with renewal thereafter subject to the conditions below;

NOW, THEREFORE, by the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1. The Secretary of State (Secretary) shall make a recommendation to the President to extend or not to extend MFN status to China for the 12-month period beginning July 3, 1994.

(a) In making this recommendation the Secretary shall not recommend extension unless he determines that:

            extension will substantially promote the freedom of 
            emigration objectives of section 402 of the Act; and
  
            China is complying with the 1992 bilateral agreement 
            between the United States and China concerning prison 
            labor.
  
       (b)  In making this recommendation the Secretary shall also 

determine whether China has made overall, significant progress with respect to the following:

            taking steps to begin adhering to the Universal 
            Declaration of Human Rights;
  
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            releasing and providing an acceptable accounting for 
            Chinese citizens imprisoned or detained for the non-
            violent expression of their political and religious 
            beliefs, including such expression of beliefs in 
            connection with the Democracy Wall and Tiananmen 
            Square movements;
  
            ensuring humane treatment of prisoners, such as 
            by allowing access to prisons by international 
            humanitarian and human rights organizations;
  
            protecting Tibet's distinctive religious and cultural 
            heritage; and
  
            permitting international radio and television 
            broadcasts into China.
  
       Sec. 2.  The Secretary shall submit his recommendation to 

the President before June 3, 1994.

Sec. 3. The Secretary, and other appropriate officials of the United States, shall pursue resolutely all legislative and executive actions to ensure that China abides by its commitments to follow fair, nondiscriminatory trade practices in dealing with U.S. businesses, and adheres to the Nuclear NonProliferation Treaty, the Missile Technology Control Regime guidelines and parameters, and other nonproliferation commitments.

Sec. 4. This order does not create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable by any person or entity against the United States, its officers, or employees.

WILLIAM J. CLINTON

THE WHITE HOUSE,

May 28, 1993.

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