H.R. 1504 — China Trade Relations Act of 2025

This section terminates normal trade relations (NTR) treatment for products of the People's Republic of China pursuant to title I of P.L. 106-286 (i.e., permanent NTR granted prior to China's World Trade Organization accession); requires future NTR extensions for such products to comply with chapter 1 of title IV of the Trade Act of 1974 (i.e., Jackson-Vanik amendment, 19 U.S.C. 2431 et seq.), as in effect before such accession; and revives waiver authority under section 402(d)(1) of such Act (19 U.S.C. 2432(d)(1)) with respect to China—previously in effect before accession—for 90 days after enactment. (As background, the Jackson-Vanik amendment conditions NTR, U.S. credits or guarantees, and commercial agreements for nonmarket economy countries on freedom-of-emigration determinations. Thus, the President must submit semiannual reports to Congress certifying China's compliance or issue a waiver.)

This section revises the heading of Section 402 of the Trade Act of 1974 (known as the Jackson-Vanik amendment, which conditions normal trade relations, U.S. credits or guarantees, and commercial agreements for nonmarket economy countries on freedom of emigration) from “Freedom of emigration in East-West trade” to “East-West trade and human rights” and adds a new subsection (f) establishing additional bases of ineligibility for such benefits specifically for the People's Republic of China. Under new subsection (f)(1), China becomes ineligible upon presidential determination of violations including (i) the existing emigration restrictions in subsection (a)(1)-(3); (ii) failure to substantially promote freedom of emigration; (iii) noncompliance with the 1992 U.S.-China Memorandum of Understanding on prison labor products; (iv) noncompliance with International Labour Organization standards; (v) operation of “vocational training and education centers” or other concentration camps; (vi) intimidation or harassment of Chinese nationals abroad; (vii) failure to protect Tibet’s religious and cultural heritage; (viii) systematic economic espionage or U.S. intellectual property theft; or (ix) lack of significant progress on human rights matters such as adherence to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, eliminating torture, accounting for political/religious prisoners (including those related to Hong Kong and Taiwan independence), humane prisoner treatment, international broadcasts into China, access for humanitarian organizations, organ harvesting from prisoners, or forced abortions/sterilizations. (Thus, China regains eligibility only upon presidential determination that it no longer violates any of these criteria.) New subsection (f)(2) requires the President to submit initial and semi-annual reports (June 30 and December 31) to Congress detailing China's compliance with these criteria for as long as benefits continue, as a prerequisite for eligibility. New subsection (f)(3) authorizes the President to waive these restrictions for successive 12-month periods via executive order upon certifying to Congress that the waiver promotes the subsection's objectives and China has provided assurances of future progress; waivers terminate upon expiration of authority or presidential order. New subsection (f)(4) directs the President to recommend extensions of waiver authority 30 days prior to expiration if they promote the objectives.