ASHBURN. Virginia, Mar 2: President Bill Clinton yesterday touted a trade agreement with China to America's high-tech community, a key constituency that could help the White House convince lawmakers to support the pact, says Reuters.

"Everything 1 have learned about hugian nature in my life and everything I have learned about China as president convinces me that we are a lot better of bringing them into the family of nations than shutting them out," Clinton told some 2.000 workers at UUNET, MCI WorldCom's Internet services division.

The trip UUNETs campus in Virginia was part of a White House campaign to shore up

public and congressional support for the trade agreement.

Clinton said two congressional delegations will visit China in April, one going with Commerce Secretary William Daley and the other with Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman. They will meet "the people and government and the religious leaders, who are still in chains in China." Clinton said.

"It is very interesting to me that the more people know China, spend time there, no matter what they do for a living or what their perspective is. the more likely they are to favour our agreement with China to enter the world of rule-based trade.” Clinton said.

Under the pact, China would

eliminate tariffs and quotas on computers and other information technology products by 2005.

For the first time. American companies would be able to Invest in all Chinese telecommunications services, much to the benefit of companies like MCI WorldCom.

Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress have warned Clinton that the market-opening pact was in peril.

Many lawmakers are up in arms over China’s latest threat to invade Taiwan. Others want China to improve human rights and labour standards, and cite concerns about Beijing's record of weapons proliferation.

The trade agreement, hammered out last year, calls for

China to open a wide range of markets, from agriculture to telecommunications.

In exchange, the White House says the Republican-controlled Congress must grant China permanent normal trade relations (NTR) — a status now renewed annually. Permanent NRT would guarantee Chinese goods the same low-tariff access-to US markets as products from nearly every other nation.

The trade agreement is a crucial step for China to join the World Trade Organisation (WTO). But Beijing must still wrap up negotiations with the European Union and other WTO members to enter the Genevabased body, which sets global trading rules.