are" ("China cracks down on dissent after trade threat lifted, report says."Hartford Courant, sct. A13) have recently begun for fifteen dissidents and labor organizers who were involved in the Tienenmen Square protests. These trials have "been delayed twice, first to avoid negative international reaction just before the decision last September on China's failed bid to host the 2000 Olympics and then this spring to avoid influencing Clinton's trade decision" ("China cracks" A13). In addition, China has instituted "new laws effective in June which give sweeping powers to China's State Security Bureau to clamp down on dissidents" ("China cracks" A13). China is fully aware of United States' concerns about its human rights record. Given the fact that the United States has made it clear to China that that record will be allied with trade status, China's timing of such restrictive activities has caused United States legislators and administrators to question China's sincerity in its desire to have a favored trade status with the United States. Indeed, just in the past few days, it took a last-minute lobbying campaign by President Clinton and his Cabinet to head off a potentially embarrassing vote by the House of Representatives to restrict trade with China as a way to punish Beijing for reported human rights violations. (Bradsher, Keith. "Bill to Restrict China's Imports Loses in House." A7). But China's problems in joining the community of the world market have more to do than with its political ethos and practices. China appears not to understand or to be able to follow through on fundamental modern economic practices. For example, the United States has recently complained that "China has not complied with international rules on access to its markets and protection of copyrights and patents" (Gargan, Edward A. "U.S. May Thwart China's Trade Goal." New York Times pg. 14). Such non-compliance could make it difficult for China to become a found...
