"Today we take a major step toward China's entry into the World Trade Organization and a major step toward answering some of the central challenges of this new century," Clinton said in a bipartisan White House ceremony Tuesday afternoon.
"Trade with China will not only extend our nation's unprecedented economic growth, it offers us a chance to help shape the future of the world's most prosperous nation and to reaffirm our own global leadership for peace and prosperity."
The measure is considered the most important U.S. trade legislation since passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1993. But it faced a long campaign of opposition from labor, human rights and conservative groups who wanted to retain the annual review of trade relations with China.
The Senate passed the China trade bill in September after supporters won a bruising battle in the House of Representatives in May. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle joined Clinton on the South Lawn of the White House to watch him sign the measure, dubbed the U.S.-China Relations Act of 2000.
Clinton signs China trade bill, - October 10, 2000