The Washington debate over the Clinton administration’s policy of appeasement — pardon us, “engagement” toward China is heating up. It will get even warmer as July 1 nears, when Hong Kong reverts to Chinese sovereignty after 155 years as a British crown colony. And there’ll be a full boil when Congress takes up the question of China’s “most favored nation” status in American trade law. The fearsome let’s-trade-with-Beijing lobby will twist the arms of congressmen to shut up about human rights and pass MFN. Wavering legislators will want to know: Where’s the public on this nettlesome issue? Here’s the answer.
At THE WEEKLY STANDARD’S request, the polling firm Public Opinion Strategies earlier this month reminded 800 Americans that the MFN designation “gives the Chinese full trading privileges with the United States.” Then our pollsters posed a question that, if anything, bends over backwards in favor of engagement.
Some people support MFN “because they believe it will promote democracy and free markets in China and help the U.S. economy.” Others want to suspend MFN ” because China limits human rights, sells arms to Iran and pursues an aggressive foreign policy.” So do our poll respondents “support or oppose continuing most favored nation status with China?”
The result: The American people oppose MFN, overwhelmingly, by 61 to 29 percent (the other 10 percent don’t know or gave no answer). They oppose it in every region of the country. They oppose it in the cities. They oppose it in the suburbs. They oppose it on the farm. White people oppose it. Black people oppose it. Republicans oppose it. Democrats oppose it. Rich people oppose it. Poor people oppose it. High-school dropouts oppose it. Ph.D.s oppose it. Married people oppose it. Single people oppose it. Clinton voters oppose it. Dole voters oppose it. Perot voters oppose it.
In other words, everyone opposes MFN. And interestingly enough, no one opposes MFN more than women do: by a whopping 45-point margin, 67 to 22 percent. So on this issue, President Clinton has a gender gap. He deserves it.
