Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Congressional battle over trade with China expected to be intense by Martin Crutsinger Associated Press Washington — President Clinton is pledging an all-out effort to win con gressional approval of a major market opening trade agreement with China. Judging from the strong negative reac tion from U.S. labor groups, he will have to make good on that promise. > Teamsters union President James P. Hoffa denounced the pact as a “slap in the face not only to workers in America, but to their counterparts in China.” AFL CIO President John Sweeney called it a “grave mistake.” “It is disgustingly hypocritical of the Clinton administration to pledge to ‘put a human face on the global economy’ while prostrating itself in pursuit of a trade deal with a rogue nation,” Sweeney said in a statement. The American Textile Manufactur ers Association, an industry trade group, estimated that the trade deal with China will cost 150,000 U.S. jobs in the textile and apparel industries, two sec tors that face heavy competition from Chinese imports. But to the Clinton administration and many other American business groups, the agreement reached in Beijing on Mon day offers the prospect of boosting sales of American manufactured goods, farm products, movies and financial services by lowering barriers that have prevent ed U.S. access to the world’s most pop ulous country. Responding to another complaint, Vice President A1 Gore said Tuesday that Clinton will sign an order requiring seri ous environmental review of all major trade agreements, with advice from the public and outside experts. “Vvfe can use that information to shape emeiging trade agreements to better pro tect out own environment and the glob al environment as well,” Gore said. Treasury Secretary Lawrence Sum mers told reporters today that the agree ment “means more jobs for Americans. It means larger export markets for Amer ican producers to provide high-wage jobs. It means a more stable, competitive, glob al economy. It means better opportuni ties for American consumers. ” “This is a major breakthrough for American companies and their workers, offering hundreds of millions of poten tial new customers,” said Jerry Jasinowski, president of the National Association of Manufacturers. Texas Gov. Geoige W. Bush, the front runner for the Republican presidential nomination, said today the agreement is “a good deal for America and American workers.” “It is very important for us to open up Chinese markets for American farm ers, American entrepreneurs and Amer ican business people,” Bush said on NBC’s “Today.” “It’s going to change the Chinese at titude toward freedom.” In return for China lowering barriers on American products, the United States will agree to support China’s 13-year quest to become a member of the 135 nation World Trade Oiganization, the Geneva-based oiganization that sets the rules for world trade. But US. labor unions see China’s en try into the WTO as a further threat to American workers because the United States no longer would be able to uni laterally impose trade sanctions on Chi na for unfair trading practices. Instead, America would have to take any cases before the WTO for a ruling. Latin American leaders 'meet like a family' in Cuba by Anita Snow Associated Press Havana — Donning an elegant black suit instead of his trademark olive green uniform, President Fidel Castro Tuesday * told leaders attending the opening of the Ibero-American summit in Havana that they do not need anyone’s permission to “meet like a family.” The gathering by top leaders of 14 Latin American countries, along with those of Spain and Portugal, flies in the face ofU.S. efforts to make the commu nist state an international pariah. Castro said that his role at the gath erings had changed significantly since the firet gathering was held in Mexico in 1991, shortly after the collapse of the Soviet bloc. “Cuba had always been left out of every meeting in this continent. Some i looked at me with curiosity and even pity,” Castro said. “Possibly, hardly anyone believed that Cuba could with stand the collapse of the socialist camp.” “We do not need to be summoned or receive anyone’s permission to meet like a family without exclusions,” he said. As the summit got under way, how ever, discussions of democracy served as reminders that Cuba and its communist system still stands out from many of the participating countries. Portuguese President Jorge Sam paio issued a strong message on democ racy at the opening of the summit today. “Democracy is the primary ally of development and development is the pri mary ally of democracy,” Sampaio said. The prime ministers of Spain and Por tugal met with opponents of Castro’s gov ernment on Monday, breaking a long standing tradition of foreign leaders shun ning dissidents while on Cuba soil. The delegations of Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama held similar meetings over the weekend, and the Spanish branch of Amnesty International asked the Span ish government Monday to intercede for inmates the group described as political prisoners. During a state dinner on Monday night, Spain’s King Juan Carlos toasted Castro, wishing prosperity for the Cubair people but reminding the communist leader of the importance of human rights. “Only with an authentic democracy, with full guarantee for liberties and with scrupulous respect for human rights by all of us can our peoples face the chal lenges of the 21st century with success,” Juan Carlos said. ■ i.■ ■ —•rr~Vn i i iMMiiwn' I Special to The Gamecock Cuban leader Fidel Castro attends the opening ceremonies for the Ibero-American summit In Havana on Tuesday World Briefs ■ Five skinheads sentenced in Canada Surrey, British Columbia (AP) — Five men linked to a neo-Nazi skinhead group were sentenced Tuesday to prison terms ranging from 12 to 15 years for beating to death the elderly caretaker of a Sikh temple. Provincial Judge William Stewart mled that the killing of Nirmal Singh Gill, 65, was racially motivated. Calling the incident repugnant, Stewart described the killers as “moronic braggarts.” The five pleaded guilty to manslaugh ter in the Jan. 1998 killing outside the Guru Nanak Temple in subuiban Surrey. All five had links to a neo-Nazi group called White Power, according to court room evidence. , Police said the men bragged about the killing to undercover officers posing as motorcycle gang members. ■ U.S. to pay U.N. dues Washngton (AP)—Despite conditions in a pending deal with Congress, the Unit ed States will be able to pay the $350 mil lion it owes the United Nations and hold on to its seat in the General Assembly, a State Department spokesman said Tues day. The U.N. charter calls for taking away the vote of any country behind two years in its dues. The $350 million will be raised by using $100 million from the $926 mil lion that Congress appears ready to ap prove over three years to pay back dues. Another $250 million will come from appropriations for the Commerce, Jus tice and State departments, said James P. Rubin, a State Department spokesman. Except for the $ 100 million, the deal ten tatively worked out with congressional leaden contains certain conditions. Among them, an agreement by the United Na tions to reduce the U.S. share of dues from 25 percent to 20 percent, and the US. share of peacekeeping costs from 31 percent to 25 percent. The tentative accord also depends on no increase in U.N. spending, and it re lies on merit as the qualification for se curing a job at the United Nations—not family or other personal connections. I Let’s work together to bring the oneness of humanity into reality! TONIGHT A RACE UNITY FORUM FEATURING Dr. Cleveland Sellers Susan Aude Fisher Malik Husser Shahin Vafai Angela Ewing-Boyd 8:00 P.M., Wednesday, November 17 Belk Auditorium (Bus. Admin. Building) No charge, no donations Presented by the USC Baha’i Club. 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