Pursuant to Subsection 402 (d)(1) of the Trade Act of 1974 (hereinafter "the Act"), having determined that further extension of the waiver authority granted by Subsection 402 (c) of the Act for twelve months will substantially promote the objectives of Section 402, I have today determined that continuation of the waiver currently applicable to China will also substantially promote the objectives of Section 402 of the Act. My determination [No. 91-36] is attached and is incorporated herein.

Freedom of Emigration

Determination

China's relatively free emigration policies have continued during the past twelve months. In FY 1990, 16,751 US immigrant visas were issued in China. The US numerical limitation for immigrants from China was fully met. The prinicpal restraint on increased emigration continues to be the capacity and willingness of other nations to absorb Chinese immigrants, not Chinese policy. After considering all the relevant information, I have concluded that continuing the MFN waiver will preserve the gains already achieved on freedom of emigration and encourage further progress.

Chinese Foreign Travel Policies

China continues to adhere to a relatively open foreign travel policy. According to Chinese officials, issuance of passports for private travel has increased more than threefold since 1986. US diplomatic posts in China issued 60,687 non-immigrant visas in FY 1990. In FY 1990, 33,800 visas were issued worldwide to student and tourists from China, a 19 percent increase over FY 1989 and an 84 percent increase over FY 1988.

Chinese officials report that several thousand students have returned from overseas for visits after June 1989 and have been allowed to depart again under expedited procedures. We cannot verify these figures, but we are not aware of any cases in which Chinese living in the US who returned to China for visits after June 1989 were prevented from leaving again.