Arrival in Beijing, China
Statement             
                               by
 
              Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman
                   Arrival in Beijing, China
                         April 25, 2000

                                
     "Good evening.  It's a great honor to return to China for my fourth
visit, and second during my tenure as Secretary of Agriculture.  This trip
comes at a pivotal moment in U.S.-China relations.  

     "China has taken extraordinary steps to open their country and their
economy, now preparing to join the World Trade Organization and become fully
integrated into a rules-based global marketplace.  We in the United States are
deciding whether to use this opportunity to make our bilateral relationship as
strong as it's ever been, by granting China Permanent Normal Trade Relations. 
I believe   and President Clinton believes   that it's an opportunity we can't
let get away.

     "Accompanying me on this trip are four members of the United States
Congress, who will be voting on the PNTR issue next month, as well as the
Governor of North Dakota and representatives from the White House, the U.S.
Department of State and the U.S. Department of Commerce.  

     "We are here to educate ourselves, to better understand China -- its
economy, its society and its people.  And we hope to come away with a greater
appreciation for all that the United States and China can achieve together,
through goodwill and cooperation, in the 21st century.

     "As the Secretary of Agriculture, I am naturally interested in trade in
farm goods between the U.S. and China.  And since PNTR is, at its core, about
commerce, that will be a focus of this trip.  We will meet tomorrow afternoon
with Chinese entrepreneurs.  And I will speak with local American Chamber of
Commerce members here in Beijing, in Shanghai and in Hong Kong.  We will also
see U.S.-China commercial cooperation in action.  In Shanghai, there will be a
visit to a soybean crushing plant that uses American soybeans to make
livestock feed and oils for Chinese consumers.  And later this week, we'll go
to a facility where American produce is processed for distribution in Hong
Kong.

     "But we intend to explore the entire U.S.-China relationship.  By
strengthening our trade ties, we also build greater understanding between our
respective governments and our respective people.  And to weaken commercial
ties would slow the pace of change in China on important issues like religious
freedom and labor rights.
                                
     "Here in Beijing, we will have a bilateral meeting with top officials in
the Chinese government, where we will cover several aspects of the U.S.-China
relationship.  We will also be meeting with religious and human rights
leaders, and later in the trip we will focus on the importance of peaceful
resolution of issues between Taiwan and mainland China.

     "I'm confident that this trip will serve an important educational
function, not just for those of us traveling...but for the American people and
the Chinese people.  I believe that it will further reinforce the notion that
Permanent Normal Trade Relations will help advance Chinese social, political
and economic reform...as well as the economic, foreign policy and national
security interests of the United States.

"Thank you."

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