WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Top congressional Republicans said on Wednesday they were likely to accept legislation to monitor human rights in China, boosting prospects for passage of President Clinton's landmark trade pact with Beijing.
"I prefer a clean bill but the reality is we need some more votes," House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Archer, Texas Republican, told reporters.
On Tuesday, Michigan Democratic Rep. Sander Levin and Nebraska Republican Rep. Doug Bereuter announced bipartisan legislation that would set up a watchdog commission that would review Chinese policies and could recommend sanctions against Beijing as long as they were consistent with World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.
Top Republicans said the proposal may have to be changed but that it was likely to move forward in some form.
"This is a framework that will undergo changes," said California Rep. David Dreier, a leading Republican supporter of the pact. But he added: "I believe that a bipartisan proposal to address justifiable concerns with Chinese government practices will help win this key vote ... I am confident that the final product will be helpful."
Clinton's Democratic allies in the trade fight said they would not be able to round up the 70 to 80 Democratic votes they need for the trade bill without the Levin-Bereuter plan. Republicans are expected to deliver 150 votes for Permanent Normal Trade Relations for China.
Approval requires 218 votes in the 435-member House.
The trade agreement, announced in November 1999, calls on Beijing to open a wide range of markets, from agriculture to telecommunications.
In exchange, the White House says, Congress must grant China permanent normal trade relations -- a status it now enjoys only after an annual congressional review. PNTR would guarantee Chinese goods the same low-tariff access to U.S. markets as products from nearly every other nation.:
