WASHINGTON — Calls to revoke China’s Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status have grown louder in recent months.

In a memo released on the first day of his second term, President Donald Trump asked his Cabinet members to “assess legislative proposals regarding PNTR.” Three days later, Republican Representative John Moolenaar, the chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, and Democratic lawmaker Tom Suozzi introduced the first bipartisan bill that would revoke China’s PNTR status.

China has held PNTR status since 2000, when Congress first passed legislation on the matter. Prior to that, Beijing’s trade status was reviewed annually.

VOA recently sat down with Republican Representative Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin, who also proposed legislation, along with Republican lawmaker Chris Smith, to revoke China’s PNTR status. He said China is stealing American technology, setting up police stations in various cities across the U.S. and engaging in unfair trade practices. “One of the most important things we can do is to revoke China’s PNTR and have it renewed on an annual basis,” he said.

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

VOA: The relationship between the U.S. and China has gone through dramatic changes since China entered the WTO in 2001. How do you describe the current state of U.S.-China relations? How did we get here?

U.S. Representative Tom Tiffany: I think the goodwill of the American people has been abused. When you look at the theft of intellectual property — I just mentioned the police stations, something that is anathema to American society — I believe this goes back to when most favored nation status was given to Communist China and that’s why I’ve introduced legislation with Representative Chris Smith from New Jersey to revoke that permanent status and have it be renewed annually. I believe we will get much greater accountability by the Communist Chinese government. I think this is one of the most important things that we can do. We have the largest consumer base, and that has led to prosperity for China over the last few decades. I believe they should respect that, and they have not. One way in which we can deal with this is to have an annual renewal for most favored nation status.

VOA: You represent Wisconsin’s 7th congressional district. How have the actions taken by China affected people in your district, especially on the trade front?

Tiffany: I’ll give you one example. We grow almost all the ginseng in my district, in northern Wisconsin, and the Communist Chinese have used this as a weapon in trade negotiations. Because Wisconsin is such an important state, in terms of elections, they’ve tried to turn the ginseng growers against Republicans, against President Trump, by saying we’re not going to take your ginseng anymore. Because China took a lot of America’s ginseng — it’s the best that is produced in the world — they’ve used trade, specifically in regard to ginseng, as a political weapon and that should not be the case. I’m hoping that the Communist Chinese will relent on this now and allow ginseng to be imported into their country once again in the same volumes that they did a decade ago.

VOA: Do you support imposing tariffs on Chinese goods coming to the U.S., and what are the other urgent steps that the U.S. should be taking to deal with China’s unfair trade practices?

Tiffany: I do agree with tariffs, and I like the president’s idea of having reciprocal tariffs. If you’re going to tariff 25% on a particular product, then we’re going to tariff 25% on a particular product. We would prefer to just see free trade, but it has to be fair trade.

I think there’s a couple other things that we watch very closely here in America. We see the abuse of the Uyghur people in Western China. That is unacceptable in a free society. We do not want companies importing goods that are using slave labor. We haven’t had a full accounting of what happened in the Wuhan lab with the coronavirus … it appears almost certain that it came from that lab and caused incredible damage to not just America, but countries around the world. We need a full accounting in regard to those things and China needs to provide that.

VOA: Where do you see U.S.-China relations heading in the next decade?

Tiffany: If we continue with the policies of President Trump, I think we have the potential to have good relations. You know, maybe [Chinese President] Xi Jinping chooses not to give up communism, and that’s how he wants to rule his country, and that would be very unfortunate. But I think we’d end up with better relations when we have a strong America.
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WASHINGTON — Giving a new meaning to the phrase mad scientists, angry researchers, doctors, their patients and supporters ventured out of labs, hospitals and offices Friday to fight against what they call a blitz on life-saving science by the Trump administration.

In the nation’s capital, a couple thousand gathered at the Stand Up for Science rally. Organizers said similar rallies were planned in more than 30 U.S. cities.

Politicians, scientists, musicians, doctors and their patients made the case that firings, budget and grant cuts in health, climate, science and other research government agencies in the Trump administration’s first 47 days in office are endangering not just the future but the present.

“This is the most challenging moment I can recall,” University of Pennsylvania climate scientist Michael Mann told the crowd full of signs belittling the intelligence of President Donald Trump, his cost-cutting aide Elon Musk and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “Science is under siege.”

Astronomer Phil Plait told a booing crowd, “We’re looking at the most aggressively anti-science government the United States has ever had.”

Rally co-organizer Colette Delawalla, a doctoral student in clinical psychology, said, “We’re not just going to stand here and take it.”

Science communicator, entertainer and one-time engineer Bill Nye the Science Guy challenged the forces in government that want to cut and censor science. “What are you afraid of?” he said.

U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen challenged the crowd, some in white lab coats if only for show, to live up to the mad scientist moniker: “Everybody in America should be mad about what we are witnessing.”

The crowd was. Signs read “Edit Elon out of USA’s DNA,” “Delete DOGE not data,” “the only good evidence against evolution is the existence of Trump” and “ticked off epidemiologist.”

Health and science advances are happening faster than ever, making this a key moment in making people’s lives better, said former National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins, who helped map the human genome. The funding cuts put at risk progress on Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes and cancer, he said.

“It’s a very bad time with all the promise and momentum,” said Collins.

“I’m very worried about my country right now,” Collins said before breaking out into an original song on his guitar.

Emily Whitehead, the first patient to get a certain new type of treatment for a rare cancer, told the crowd that at age 5 she was sent hospice to die, but CAR T-cell therapy “taught my immune system to beat cancer” and she’s been disease free for nearly 13 years.

“I stand up for science because science saved my life,” Whitehead said.

Friday’s rally in Washington was at the Lincoln Memorial, in the shadow of a statue of the president who created the nearby National Academy of Sciences in 1863.

From 11 million kilometers away from Earth, NASA proved science could divert potentially planet-killing asteroids, former NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said. On his space shuttle flight nearly 40 years ago, he looked down to Earth and had a “sense of awe that you want to be a better steward of what we’ve been given,” he said.

The rallies were organized mostly by graduate students and early career scientists. Dozens of other protests were also planned around the world, including more than 30 in France, Delawalla said.

Protesters gathered around City Hall in Philadelphia, home to prestigious, internationally recognized health care institutions and where 1 in 6 doctors in the U.S. has received medical training.

“As a doctor, I’m standing up for all of my transgender, nonbinary patients who are also being targeted,” said Cedric Bien-Gund, an infectious disease doctor at the University of Pennsylvania. “There’s been a lot of fear and silencing, both among our patients and among all our staff. And it’s really disheartening to see.” 
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Sediqa Khalili was a captain in the Afghan military until the Taliban’s takeover in 2021. She was evacuated to the United States, and she says she is grateful for the opportunities but heartbroken by the worsening conditions for women in Afghanistan. VOA’s Noshaba Ashna has the story, narrated by Bezhan Hamdard. Camera: Ajmal Songaryar
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TAIPEI, TAIWAN — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday criticized the United States for imposing tariffs on Chinese imports and vowed to “resolutely retaliate” if Washington continues to increase pressure on Beijing.

Speaking to local and foreign media outlets during the annual meeting of China’s parliament on Friday, Wang questioned the effectiveness of the U.S. government’s tariffs against China and called on Washington to avoid conflicts and confrontation.

“The U.S. should think about what they have gotten out of all the trade wars and tariff wars that they have initiated all these years,” Wang said, adding that the economic and trade relationship between the two countries should be “mutual and reciprocal.”

“No country can fantasize about developing good relations with China while suppressing and containing it,” he said, calling such behavior a “two-faced approach” that will be detrimental to the stability of bilateral relations and attempts to build trust.

Wang’s remarks come three days after the U.S. imposed an additional 10% tariff on all Chinese imports, bringing the total amount of tariff on Chinese products to 20% and prompting Beijing to slap tariffs of between 10% to 15% on a wide range of American agricultural products.

“[U.S. Treasury] Secretary [Scott] Bessent expressed serious concerns about the PRC’s counternarcotics efforts, economic imbalances, and unfair policies, and stressed the Administration’s commitment to pursue trade and economic policies that protect the American economy, the American worker, and our national security,” the Treasury said in a statement following a Feb. 28 telephone conversation with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, using the acronym for China’s official name, the People’s Republic of China.

Despite his criticism of the U.S. tariffs against China, Wang said Beijing remains committed to maintain a “stable, healthy and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations” based on “mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation.”

“I hope that the United States will listen to the voices of the two peoples, recognize the general trend of historical development, look at China’s development objectively and rationally, actively and pragmatically carry out exchanges with China,” he told a roomful of journalists.

In addition to bilateral relations with the U.S. Wang also criticized Washington’s Indo-Pacific strategy, saying the plan, which includes deploying mid-range capability missiles to countries like the Philippines, has only “stirred up trouble and create differences” in the region.

“Instead of being the battleground of big power competition, Asia should be the place to showcase international cooperation,” he said, adding that China advocates for open regionalism and sharing development opportunities in Asia based on mutual respect and benefit.

Analysts say Wang’s remarks suggest China is seeking to handle relations with the U.S. in a “firm yet not overly excited way.”

“China is telling the Trump administration that what they are doing is wrong, but they don’t seem to be putting proposals on the table, which may be their attempt to avoid escalation in bilateral relations,” said Ian Chong, a political scientist at the National University of Singapore.

China as the pro ‘status-quo’ power

In addition to weighing in on bilateral relations with Washington, Wang also reiterated China’s support for multilateralism and opposition to “unilateralism” and “hegemony,” a vague criticism of the U.S. decision to freeze foreign aid and pull out of some international organizations.

“We will safeguard the multilateral free trade system, create an open, inclusive and nondiscriminatory environment for international cooperation, and promote inclusive economic globalization,” he said during the news conference.

When asked about the current role of the United Nations, Wang said China opposes the monopolization of international affairs by a few countries and hopes the voices of countries in the Global South, which include developing nations in Africa, Latin America and Asia, could be “heard more often.”

“As a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, China is aware of its international responsibility and will firmly uphold the centrality of the United Nations, serve as the mainstay of the multilateral system and be the voice of justice for the Global South,” he said.

Some experts say Wang’s comments are part of Beijing’s efforts to present itself as a “steady” and “pro-status quo” power as the United States is dramatically changing its foreign policy approach.

“Beijing wants to reassure other countries that China is the safer pair of hands and at a time when the Trump administration is pursuing a more zero sum-oriented trade war against friends and foes alike, Wang is trying to signal that China is open for business,” Wen-ti Sung, a Taipei-based political scientist for the Australian National University, told VOA by phone.

Despite Wang’s statements, Chong in Singapore said China has yet to present concrete plans to fulfill their commitment to uphold the multilateral world system and support for developing countries.

“China has been saying they want a multipolar world order for decades, but none of Beijing’s concrete proposals are on the table right now,” he told VOA by phone.

Beijing remains cautious of the U.S.-Russia interaction

As the U.S. tries to increase engagement with Russia and facilitate a potential peace deal over the war in Ukraine, Wang said a “mature, resilient and stable” relationship between Beijing and Moscow won’t be interfered by any third party.

“Regardless of changes in the international environment, the historical logic of Sino-Russian friendship remains unchanged, and its endogenous dynamics will not diminish,” he said, adding that Beijing and Moscow will continue to “uphold the international system with the U.N. at its core and promote the development of the international order in a more just and rational direction.”

Chong said Wang’s remarks show Beijing is “cautious” about the recent interaction between Russia and the U.S.

“China understands if there is some sort of arrangement between the Americans and Russians, the U.S. gets to focus a lot more on competing with China in the Pacific, and Beijing could face a lot more pressure,” he told VOA.

Apart from elaborating on China’s foreign policy, Wang also reiterated Beijing’s claim over Taiwan.

“Advocating Taiwan independence is tantamount to secession, supporting Taiwan independence is tantamount to interference in China’s internal affairs, and condoning Taiwan independence is tantamount to destabilizing the Taiwan Strait,” he said, adding that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait will “eventually be reunified.” 
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