Permanent normal trade for China. (Insider Report).(with the United States)(Brief Article)

By granting Communist China "permanent normal trade status" (formerly "Most Favored Nation" or MFN) in late December, President Bush ended "a quarter-century policy of using access to U.S. markets as an annual enticement to the communist giant to expand political and economic freedoms," commented a December 27th AP story. The president referred to the move as the "final step in normalizing U.S.-China trade relations and welcoming China into a global, rules-based trading system."

Last year, Congress granted Beijing permanent MFN status contingent upon its entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO), the global body charged with making the "rules" alluded to by the president. In its annual meeting in the United Arab Emirates last November, the WTO extended membership to Beijing, making Mr. Bush's announcement little more than a ...