china received most favored nation status in 1984.
when did china receive most favored nation status?
1984
formal diplomatic relations between the united states and the people's republic of china were not established until 1979, and even afterwards, trade relations were hampered by the high tariff rates of the smoot–hawley tariff act of 1930. after the two governments settled asset claims dating from the korean war in 1950, congress temporarily granted china most favored nation status in 1980. however, chinese-american trade was still hindered by the jackson–vanik amendment of 1974, which made trade with the united states contingent on certain human rights metrics. the jackson–vanik restrictions could not apply; however, to wto members, because of wto rules that prohibit this kind of discrimination.
china and the world trade organization
massachusetts diplomat caleb cushing as commissioner and minister. with the goal of impressing the royal chinese court, the cushing mission suddenly appeared with four american warships, loaded with gifts that exalted scientific wonders including revolvers, telescopes, and an encyclopedia. his arrival at macau in february 1844 created a local sensation, but the chinese government was reluctant to designate another most favored nation. cushing cleverly mixed the carrot and stick. he warned – against the backdrop of his warships – that not to receive an envoy was a national insult. he threatened to go directly to the emperor – an unheard of procedure. the emperor tried delay, but he finally sent an envoy to negotiate with cushing, leading to the signing of the treaty of wanghia in the village of wanghia on july 3, 1844. in addition to most favored nation status, cushing made sure that americans received extraterritoriality, which meant that legal cases involving americans inside china would be tried by western judges, not by chinese judges. in the following years american trade with china grew rapidly, thanks to the high-speed clipper ships which carried relatively small amounts of high-value cargo, such as ginseng and silk. american protestant missionaries also began to arrive. the popular chinese reaction was mostly hostile, but there was a favorable element that provided a base of support for american missionaries and businessmen. by 1850-64, china was emeshed in the taiping rebellion which caused millions of lives, and foreign trade stagnated.
china–united states relations