DATE: Wednesday, June 25, 1997              TAG: 9706250537

SECTION: BUSINESS                PAGE: D1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY MEREDITH COHN, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   60 lines

A SIGH OF RELIEF ON THE WATERFRONT

When Congress voted to continue normal trade with China Tuesday, those with waterfront jobs breathed a collective sigh of relief.

China has become increasingly important to the port of Hampton Roads, with exports passing through local terminals increasing 109 percent from 1991 to 1995 to a value of $579 million, according to the Chamber of Commerce's International Business Council.

Imports from China, the group reports, increased 19 percent during that time to a value of $177 million.

``The state as a whole probably would have been in the middle of the pack in terms of impact,'' said James R. Bullington, the council's recently named chairman.

``But we in Hampton Roads are probably more affected than the average because of the port,'' he said. ``Exports and imports are such a vital part of the local economy. Anything that has a negative impact on the port has a ripple effect.''

The effect could have been a loss in port and transportation jobs and increases in the cost of such items as clothes and computers sold at local stores, said J. Robert Bray, executive director of the Virginia Port Authority.

``If you look at our major trading bloc, about 50 percent comes from Europe with the Far East's portion growing, and a major part of the growth is in China,'' Bray said. ``Anything done to make products from China less competitive is not going to benefit those in transportation or consumers.''

Congress votes each year on China's most-favored-nation status - which means tariffs remain low - but House lawmakers seeking to make a point on the country's dismal human rights record forced an especially close tally.

An unusual combination of liberals, labor and Christian conservatives, including the Chesapeake-based Christian Coalition, fought renewal of MFN status.

``This is the first year we've gotten involved because we became aware of the persecution of people of faith in China by the Chinese government,'' said Arne Owens, director of communications for the Christian Coalition.

``We saw this as a way to send a message to the Chinese government that we have grave concerns,'' he said. ``We saw this as the time to send the message that the United States is committed to more than just the blind pursuit of trade with China.''

Owens said that, during the past 16 years that China has held MFN status, conditions in the country have not improved.

But Bullington, former ambassador to Burundi and director of the Center for Global Business and Executive Education at Old Dominion University, said denying MFN status is not the method to address issues of human rights and religious freedom. That action would cause the Chinese to not only raise their own tariffs on American goods - jeopardizing American workers' jobs - but would cut off communication to the emerging economic superpower.

``Concerns over human rights and religious freedoms are certainly real and important, but denial of MFN would not affect these problems favorably,'' Bullington said. ``It could have the opposite effect. China may crack down on religious freedoms that do exist.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

Bullington

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