GOP Senators Push Stripping China’s Preferential Trade Status to Protect US Workers, Condemn Rights Abuses

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) questions President-elect Joe Biden's nominee for Secretary of Defense, retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 19, 2021 in Washington. Greg Nash-Pool/Getty Images

Republican senators on March 18 introduced a bill that would strip the Chinese regime of its trading privileges by revoking its permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) status in a bid to hold it accountable for its economic aggressions and human rights abuses.

The bill, introduced by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), would tie China’s eligibility to receive preferential trading treatment—known as “normal trade relations” status (NTR)—with the government’s human rights record.