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US Senate Vote on China Bill Seen by Late July
US Senate Republican Leader Trent Lott said on Friday he would seek a final vote on a landmark China trade bill by the third week in July.
"It is my intent to do that," said Lott of Mississippi. But he warned that hurdles could arise.
Legislation granting permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) to China was approved by the House of Representatives in May, and is virtually assured Senate passage once a date is scheduled.
But Lott has thus far refused to schedule a vote, insisting that lawmakers first complete work on key spending bills to fund the federal government and take up legislation to combat China weapons proliferation which is alleged by some Congressmen.
Even though no date has been set, Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle expressed confidence on Friday that PNTR was headed for passage next month.
"Senator Lott has assured me that it would come up no later than the third week in July," Daschle of South Dakota told reporters. "I don't have a date certain yet, but we have a week certain, and we'll get down to the date in a day or two."
Once approved by the Senate and signed into law by President Bill Clinton, PNTR would end the annual ritual of reviewing China's trade status and guarantee Chinese goods the same low-tariff access to US markets as products from nearly every other nation.
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