The Glossary
PNTR
The 2000 law ending annual renewal of China's trade status — the accession bargain.
Definition
Permanent Normal Trade Relations legislation, signed October 10, 2000, ended the annual renewal of China's most-favoured-nation status that had politicized the relationship since 1980. It was the U.S. price for supporting WTO accession — and the moment both parties' economic wings stopped pretending trade with China was reversible. The House vote (237-197) is a standard reference for "the last trade vote that mattered."
Why it matters
Every modern proposal to revoke China's tariff treatment is, in effect, a proposal to un-PNTR — which is why hawks keep returning to this 2000 statute.