The vote by the US House of Representatives to normalise trade relations with China is an important milestone in the move to bring the world's most populous country more fully into the international economic system. It is also an important victory for the US president, Mr Clinton, who had to rely on Republican support in a vote which is a landmark in terms of US relations with China. The president, coming towards the end of his term, was in no doubt about the importance of the vote, hailing it as a "good day for America". The Senate vote to support the deal is now seen as a formality.
The anti-campaign was led by workers' rights lobbyists, supported by some who argued that China's human rights record meant it should not have normal trading relations with the US. Their case was summed up by one of the leaders of the anti-campaign, the Democratic whip in the House, Mr David Bonior, who said that the global economy should not be one where "families in China and Mexico and America compete in a hopeless race to the bottom". The opponents of such deals would now solidify into a powerful political movement, he predicted.
What does the US vote mean? Directly, it means that the US and China will now enjoy normal trading relations; at the moment the House and the Senate have to vote each year to renew trading agreements. More importantly, it is part of a more general move to integrate China into the global trading system. Earlier this year Mr Zhu Rongji's government struck a deal with the US on reducing tariffs and regulations to secure the support of the Clinton administration for its entry into the World Trade Organisation. A similar deal was recently concluded with the EU and China is likely to enter the WTO some time late this year.
China's integration into the world trade system will be slow. It has not been part of the international trading system governed by the General Agreements on Tariffs and Trade - the forerunner to the WTO. China applied to join the GATT as far back as 1986, but its application was delayed by the crackdown on students in Tiananmen Square in 1989 and has only got back on track over the past couple of years. Its trade with the rest of the world has only started to grow significantly in recent years; it moved to cut import tariffs and allow foreign firms to get involved more freely in joint ventures in 1995.
Even now, progress will be slow. Import tariffs - or taxes - will be reduced over a period of years and overseas firms will still face many barriers in selling to that market or investing there. China's financial system and capital markets remain very underdeveloped, regulation remains heavy and pirating in areas such as software is rife. Nonetheless, a market of 1.3 billion people offers many opportunities; the Irish software industry, for example, is already actively seeking contracts there.
The lowering of trade barriers and the continual opening up to foreign investment should, over time, bring many benefits to the Chinese people and allow an improvement in living standards. However the problems of adjustment will be substantial, particularly in traditional areas of manufacturing and agriculture. If it continues in a genuine effort to open its markets, then China deserves the support of the international community in its efforts to open up and modernise its economy.