英语演讲稿

PRESIDENTCLINTON:

Thankyou.Thankyou,PresidentChen,ChairmenRen,VicePresidentChi,ViceMinisterWei.WearedelightedtobeheretodaywithaverylargeAmericandelegation,includingtheFirstLadyandourdaughter,whoisastudentatStanford,oneoftheschoolswithwhichBeijingUniversityhasarelationship.WehavesixmembersoftheUnitedStatesCongress;theSecretaryofState;SecretaryofCommerce;theSecretaryofAgriculture;theChairmanofourCouncilofEconomicAdvisors;SenatorSasser,ourAmbassador;theNationalSecurityAdvisorandmyChiefofStaff,amongothers.IsaythattoillustratetheimportancethattheUnitedStatesplacesonourrelationshipwithChina.

Iwouldliketobeginbycongratulatingallofyou,thestudents,thefaculty,theadministrators,oncelebratingthecentennialyearofyouruniversity.Gongxi,Beida.(Applause.)

AsI’msureallofyouknow,thiscampuswasoncehometoYenchingUniversitywhichwasfoundedbyAmericanmissionaries.ManyofitswonderfulbuildingsweredesignedbyanAmericanarchitect.ThousandsofAmericansstudentsandprofessorshavecomeheretostudyandteach.Wefeelaspecialkinshipwithyou.

Iam,however,gratefulthatthisdayisdifferentinoneimportantrespectfromanotherimportantoccasion79yearsago.InJuneof1919,thefirstpresidentofYenchingUniversity,JohnLeightonStuart,wassettodelivertheveryfirstcommencementaddressontheseverygrounds.Attheappointedhour,heappeared,butnostudentsappeared.TheywerealloutleadingtheMay4thMovementforChina’spoliticalandculturalrenewal.WhenIreadthis,IhopedthatwhenIwalkedintotheauditoriumtoday,someonewouldbesittinghere.AndIthankyouforbeinghere,verymuch.(Applause.)

Overthelast100years,thisuniversityhasgrowntomorethan20,000students.YourgraduatesarespreadthroughoutChinaandaroundtheworld.YouhavebuiltthelargestuniversitylibraryinallofAsia.Lastyear,20percentofyourgraduateswentabroadtostudy,includinghalfofyourmathandsciencemajors.Andinthisanniversaryyear,morethanamillionpeopleinChina,Asia,andbeyondhaveloggedontoyourwebsite.Atthedawnofanewcentury,thisuniversityisleadingChinaintothefuture.

Icomeheretodaytotalktoyou,thenextgenerationofChina’sleaders,aboutthecriticalimportancetoyourfutureofbuildingastrongpartnershipbetweenChinaandtheUnitedStates.

TheAmericanpeopledeeplyadmireChinaforitsthousandsofyearsofcontributionstocultureandreligion,tophilosophyandthearts,toscienceandtechnology.WerememberwellourstrongpartnershipinWorldWarII.NowweseeChinaatamomentinhistorywhenyourgloriouspastismatchedbyyourpresentsweepingtransformationandtheevengreaterpromiseofyourfuture.

Justthreedecadesago,Chinawasvirtuallyshutofffromtheworld.Now,Chinaisamemberofmorethan1,000internationalorganizations--enterprisesthataffecteverythingfromairtraveltoagriculturaldevelopment.Youhaveopenedyournationtotradeandinvestmentonalargescale.Today,40,000youngChinesestudyintheUnitedStates,withhundredsofthousandsmorelearninginAsia,Africa,Europe,andLatinAmerica.

Yoursocialandeconomictransformationhasbeenevenmoreremarkable,movingfromaclosedcommandeconomicsystemtoadriving,increasinglymarket-basedanddriveneconomy,generatingtwodecadesofunprecedentedgrowth,givingpeoplegreaterfreedomtotravelwithinandoutsideChina,tovoteinvillageelections,toownahome,chooseajob,attendabetterschool.Asaresultyouhaveliftedliterallyhundredsofmillionsofpeoplefrompoverty.Percapitaincomehasmorethandoubledinthelastdecade.MostChinesepeopleareleadinglivestheycouldnothaveimaginedjust20yearsago.

Ofcourse,thesechangeshavealsobroughtdisruptionsinsettledpatternsoflifeandwork,andhaveimposedenormousstrainsonyourenvironment.OnceeveryurbanChinesewasguaranteedemploymentinastateenterprise.Nowyoumustcompeteinajobmarket.OnceaChineseworkerhadonlytomeetthedemandsofacentralplannerinBeijing.Nowtheglobaleconomymeansallmustmatchthequalityandcreativityoftherestoftheworld.Forthosewholacktherighttrainingandskillsandsupport,thisnewworldcanbedaunting.

Intheshort-term,good,hardworkingpeople--some,atleastwillfindthemselvesunemployed.And,asallofyoucansee,therehavebeenenormousenvironmentalandeconomicandhealthcarecoststothedevelopmentpatternandtheenergyusepatternofthelast20years--fromairpollutiontodeforestationtoacidrainandwatershortage.

Inthefaceofthesechallengesnewsystemsoftrainingandsocialsecuritywillhavetobedevised,andnewenvironmentalpoliciesandtechnologieswillhavetobeintroducedwiththegoalofgrowingyoureconomywhileimprovingtheenvironment.EverythingIknowabouttheintelligence,theingenuity,theenterpriseoftheChinesepeopleandeverythingIhaveheardtheselastfewdaysinmydiscussionswithPresidentJiang,PrimeMinisterZhuandothersgivemeconfidencethatyouwillsucceed.

AsyoubuildanewChina,Americawantstobuildanewrelationshipwithyou.WewantChinatobesuccessful,secureandopen,workingwithusforamorepeacefulandprosperousworld.IknowtherearethoseinChinaandtheUnitedStateswhoquestionwhethercloserrelationsbetweenourcountriesisagoodthing.Buteverythingallofusknowaboutthewaytheworldischangingandthechallengesyourgenerationwillfacetellusthatourtwonationswillbefarbetteroffworkingtogetherthanapart.

ThelateDengXiaopingcounseledustoseektruthfromfacts.Atthedawnofthenewcentury,thefactsareclear.Thedistancebetweenourtwonations,indeed,betweenanynations,isshrinking.WhereonceanAmericanclippershiptookmonthstocrossfromChinatotheUnitedStates.Today,technologyhasmadeusallvirtualneighbors.Fromlaptopstolasers,frommicrochipstomegabytes,aninformationrevolutionislightingthelandscapeofhumanknowledge,bringingusallclosertogether.Ideas,information,andmoneycrosstheplanetatthestrokeofacomputerkey,bringingwiththemextraordinaryopportunitiestocreatewealth,topreventandconquerdisease,tofostergreaterunderstandingamongpeoplesofdifferenthistoriesanddifferentcultures.

Butwealsoknowthatthisgreateropennessandfasterchangemeanthatproblemswhichstartbeyondonenationsborderscanquicklymoveinsidethem--thespreadofweaponsofmassdestruction,thethreatsoforganizedcrimeanddrugtrafficking,ofenvironmentaldegradation,andsevereeconomicdislocation.Nonationcanisolateitselffromtheseproblems,andnonationcansolvethemalone.We,especiallytheyoungergenerationsofChinaandtheUnitedStates,mustmakecommoncauseofourcommonchallenges,sothatwecan,together,shapeanewcenturyofbrilliantpossibilities.

Inthe21stcentury--yourcentury--ChinaandtheUnitedStateswillfacethechallengeofsecurityinAsia.OntheKoreanPeninsula,whereoncewewereadversaries,todayweareworkingtogetherforapermanentpeaceandafuturefreerofnuclearweapons.

OntheIndiansubcontinent,justasmostoftherestoftheworldismovingawayfromnucleardanger,IndiaandPakistanrisksparkinganewarmsrace.WearenowpursuingacommonstrategytomoveIndiaandPakistanawayfromfurthertestingandtowardadialoguetoresolvetheirdifferences.

Inthe21stcentury,yourgenerationmustfacethechallengeofstoppingthespreadofdeadliernuclear,chemical,andbiologicalweapons.Inthewronghandsorthewrongplaces,theseweaponscanthreatenthepeaceofnationslargeandsmall.Increasingly,ChinaandtheUnitedStatesagreeontheimportanceofstoppingproliferation.Thatiswhywearebeginningtoactinconcerttocontroltheworldsmostdangerousweapons.

Inthe21stcentury,yourgenerationwillhavetoreversetheinternationaltideofcrimeanddrugs.Aroundtheworld,organizedcrimerobspeopleofbillionsofdollarseveryyearandunderminestrustingovernment.Americaknowsallaboutthedevastationanddespairthatdrugscanbringtoschoolsandneighborhoods.Withbordersonmorethanadozencountries,Chinahasbecomeacrossroadforsmugglersofallkinds.

Lastyear,PresidentJiangandIaskedseniorChineseandAmericanlawenforcementofficialstostepupourcooperationagainstthesepredators,tostopmoneyfrombeinglaundered,tostopaliensfrombeingcruellysmuggled,tostopcurrenciesfrombeingunderminedbycounterfeiting.Justthismonth,ourdrugenforcementagencyopenedanofficeinBeijing,andsoonChinesecounternarcoticsexpertswillbeworkingoutofWashington.

Inthe21stcentury,yourgenerationmustmakeityourmissiontoensurethattoday’sprogressdoesnotcomeattomorrow’sexpense.China’sremarkablegrowthinthelasttwodecadeshascomewithatoxiccost,pollutantsthatfoulthewateryoudrinkandtheairyoubreathe--thecostisnotonlyenvironmental,itisalsoseriousintermsofthehealthconsequencesofyourpeopleandintermsofthedragoneconomicgrowth.

Environmentalproblemsarealsoincreasinglyglobalaswellasnational.Forexample,inthenearfuture,ifpresentenergyusepatternspersist,ChinawillovertaketheUnitedStatesastheworld’slargestemitterofgreenhousegases,thegaseswhicharetheprincipalcauseofglobalwarming.Ifthenationsoftheworlddonotreducethegaseswhicharecausingglobalwarming,sometimeinthenextcenturythereisaseriousriskofdramaticchangesinclimatewhichwillchangethewayweliveandthewaywework,whichcouldliterallyburysomeislandnationsundermountainsofwaterandunderminetheeconomicandsocialfabricofnations.

Wemustworktogether.WeAmericansknowfromourownexperiencethatitispossibletogrowaneconomywhileimprovingtheenvironment.Wemustdothattogetherforourselvesandfortheworld.

BuildingontheworkthatourVicePresident,AlGore,hasdonepreviouslywiththeChinesegovernment,PresidentJiangandIareworkingtogetheronwaystobringAmericancleanenergytechnologytohelpimproveairqualityandgrowtheChineseeconomyatthesametime.

ButIwillsaythisagain--thisisnotonmyremarks--yourgenerationmustdomoreaboutthis.Thisisahugechallengeforyou,fortheAmericanpeopleandforthefutureoftheworld.Anditmustbeaddressedattheuniversitylevel,becausepoliticalleaderswillneverbewillingtoadoptenvironmentalmeasuresiftheybelieveitwillleadtolarge-scaleunemploymentormorepoverty.Theevidenceisclearthatdoesnothavetohappen.Youwillactuallyhavemorerapideconomicgrowthandbetterpayingjobs,leadingtohigherlevelsofeducationandtechnologyifwedothisintheproperway.Butyouandtheuniversity,communitiesinChina,theUnitedStatesandthroughouttheworldwillhavetoleadtheway.(Applause.)

Inthe21stcenturyyourgenerationmustalsoleadthechallengeofaninternationalfinancialsystemthathasnorespectfornationalborders.WhenstockmarketsfallinHongKongorJakarta,theeffectsarenolongerlocal;theyareglobal.Thevibrantgrowthofyourowneconomyistiedclosely,therefore,totherestorationofstabilityandgrowthintheAsiaPacificregion.

Chinahassteadfastlyshouldereditsresponsibilitiestotheregionandtheworldinthislatestfinancialcrisis--helpingtopreventanothercycleofdangerousdevaluations.Wemustcontinuetoworktogethertocounterthisthreattotheglobalfinancialsystemandtothegrowthandprosperitywhichshouldbeembracingallofthisregion.

Inthe21stcentury,yourgenerationwillhavearemarkableopportunitytobringtogetherthetalentsofourscientists,doctors,engineersintoasharedquestforprogress.Alreadythebreakthroughswehaveachievedinourareasofjointcooperation--inchallengesfromdealingwithspinabifidatodealingwithextremeweatherconditionsandearthquakes--haveprovedwhatwecandotogethertochangethelivesofmillionsofpeopleinChinaandtheUnitedStatesandaroundtheworld.Expandingourcooperationinscienceandtechnologycanbeoneofourgreatestgiftstothefuture.

IneachofthesevitalareasthatIhavementioned,wecanclearlyaccomplishsomuchmorebywalkingtogetherratherthanstandingapart.Thatiswhyweshouldworktoseethattheproductiverelationshipwenowenjoyblossomsintoafullerpartnershipinthenewcentury.

Ifthatistohappen,itisveryimportantthatweunderstandeachotherbetter,thatweunderstandbothourcommoninterestandoursharedaspirationsandourhonestdifferences.Ibelievethekindofopen,directexchangethatPresidentJiangandIhadonSaturdayatourpressconference--whichIknowmanyofyouwatchedontelevision--canbothclarifyandnarrowourdifferences,and,moreimportant,byallowingpeopletounderstandanddebateanddiscussthesethingscangiveagreatersenseofconfidencetoourpeoplethatwecanmakeabetterfuture.

FromthewindowsoftheWhiteHouse,whereIliveinWashington,D.C.,themonumenttoourfirstPresident,GeorgeWashington,dominatestheskyline.Itisaverytallobelisk.Butverynearthislargemonumentthereisasmallstonewhichcontainsthesewords:TheUnitedStatesneitherestablishedtitlesofnobilityandroyalty,norcreatedahereditarysystem.Stateaffairsareputtothevoteofpublicopinion.

Thiscreatedanewpoliticalsituation,unprecedentedfromancienttimestothepresent.Howwonderfulitis.ThosewordswerenotwrittenbyanAmerican.TheywerewrittenbyXuJiyu,governorofFujianProvince,inscribedasagiftfromthegovernmentofChinatoournationin1853.

IamverygratefulforthatgiftfromChina.Itgoestotheheartofwhoweareasapeople--therighttolife,liberty,andthepursuitofhappiness,thefreedomtodebate,todissent,toassociate,toworshipwithoutinterferencefromthestate.Thesearetheidealsthatwereatthecoreofourfoundingover220yearsago.Thesearetheideasthatledusacrossourcontinentandontotheworldstage.ThesearetheidealsthatAmericanscherishtoday.

AsIsaidinmypressconferencewithPresidentJiang,wehaveanongoingquestourselvestoliveuptothoseideals.ThepeoplewhoframedourConstitutionunderstoodthatwewouldneverachieveperfection.TheysaidthatthemissionofAmericawouldalwaysbe"toformamoreperfectunion"--inotherwords,thatwewouldneverbeperfect,butwehadtokeeptryingtodobetter.

Thedarkestmomentsinourhistoryhavecomewhenweabandonedtheefforttodobetter,whenwedeniedfreedomtoourpeoplebecauseoftheirraceortheirreligion,becausetherewerenewimmigrantsorbecausetheyheldunpopularopinions.Thebestmomentsinourhistoryhavecomewhenweprotectedthefreedomofpeoplewhoheldunpopularopinion,orextendedrightsenjoyedbythemanytothefewwhohadpreviouslybeendeniedthem,making,therefore,thepromisesofourDeclarationofIndependenceandConstitutionmorethanfadedwordsonoldparchment.

Todaywedonotseektoimposeourvisiononothers,butweareconvincedthatcertainrightsareuniversal--notAmericanrightsorEuropeanrightsorrightsfordevelopednations,butthebirthrightsofpeopleeverywhere,nowenshrinedintheUnitedNationsDeclarationonHumanRights--therighttobetreatedwithdignity;therighttoexpressone’sopinions,tochooseone’sownleaders,toassociatefreelywithothers,andtoworship,ornot,freely,howeveronechooses.

Inthelastletterofhislife,theauthorofourDeclarationofIndependenceandourthirdPresident,ThomasJefferson,saidthenthat"alleyesareopeningtotherightsofman."Ibelievethatinthistime,atlonglast,172yearsafterJeffersonwrotethosewords,alleyesareopeningtotherightsofmenandwomeneverywhere.

Overthepasttwodecades,arisingtideoffreedomhasliftedthelivesofmillionsaroundtheworld,sweepingawayfaileddictatorialsystemsintheFormerSovietUnion,throughoutCentralEurope;endingaviciouscycleofmilitarycoupsandcivilwarsinLatinAmerica;givingmorepeopleinAfricathechancetomakethemostoftheirhard-wonindependence.AndfromthePhilippinestoSouthKorea,fromThailandtoMongolia,freedomhasreachedAsia’sshores,poweringasurgeofgrowthandproductivity.

Economicsecurityalsocanbeanessentialelementoffreedom.ItisrecognizedintheUnitedNationsCovenantonEconomic,Social,andCulturalRights.InChina,youhavemadeextraordinarystridesinnurturingthatliberty,andspreadingfreedomfromwant,tobeasourceofstrengthtoyourpeople.Incomesareup,povertyisdown;peopledohavemorechoicesofjobs,andtheabilitytotravel--theabilitytomakeabetterlife.Buttruefreedomincludesmorethaneconomicfreedom.InAmerica,webelieveitisaconceptwhichisindivisible.

Overthepastfourdays,IhaveseenfreedominmanymanifestationsinChina.Ihaveseenthefreshshootsofdemocracygrowinginthevillagesofyourheartland.Ihavevisitedavillagethatchoseitsownleadersinfreeelections.Ihavealsoseenthecellphones,thevideoplayers,thefaxmachinescarryingideas,informationandimagesfromallovertheworld.I’veheardpeoplespeaktheirmindsandIhavejoinedpeopleinprayerinthefaithofmyownchoosing.InallthesewaysIfeltasteadybreezeoffreedom.

Thequestionis,wheredowegofromhere?Howdoweworktogethertobeontherightsideofhistorytogether?Morethan50yearsago,HuShi,oneofyourgreatpoliticalthinkersandateacheratthisuniversity,saidthesewords:"Nowsomepeoplesaytomeyoumustsacrificeyourindividualfreedomsothatthenationmaybefree.ButIreply,thestruggleforindividualfreedomisthestruggleforthenation’sfreedom.Thestruggleforyourowncharacteristhestruggleforthenation’scharacter."

WeAmericansbelieveHuShiwasright.Webelieveandourexperiencedemonstratesthatfreedomstrengthensstabilityandhelpsnationstochange.

Oneofourfoundingfathers,BenjaminFranklin,oncesaid,"Ourcriticsareourfriends,fortheyshowusourfaults."Now,ifthatistrue,therearemanydaysintheUnitedStateswhenthePresidenthasmorefriendsthananyoneelseinAmerica.(Laughter.)Butitisso.

Intheworldwelivein,thisglobalinformationage,constantimprovementandchangeisnecessarytoeconomicopportunityandtonationalstrength.Therefore,thefreestpossibleflowofinformation,ideas,andopinions,andagreaterrespectfordivergentpoliticalandreligiousconvictionswillactuallybreedstrengthandstabilitygoingforward.

Itis,therefore,profoundlyinyourinterest,andtheworld’s,thatyoungChinesemindsbefreetoreachthefullnessoftheirpotential.Thatisthemessageofourtimeandthemandateofthenewcenturyandthenewmillennium.

IhopeChinawillmorefullyembracethismandate.Forallthegrandeurofyourhistory,Ibelieveyourgreatestdaysarestillahead.Againstgreatoddsinthe20thcenturyChinahasnotonlysurvived,itismovingforwarddramatically.

Otherancientculturesfailedbecausetheyfailedtochange.Chinahasconstantlyproventhecapacitytochangeandgrow.Now,youmustre-imagineChinaagainforanewcentury,andyourgenerationmustbeattheheartofChina’sregeneration.

Thenewcenturyisuponus.Alloursightsareturnedtowardthefuture.NowyourcountryhasknownmoremillenniathantheUnitedStateshasknowncenturies.Today,however,ChinaisasyoungasanynationonEarth.ThisnewcenturycanbethedawnofanewChina,proudofyourancientgreatness,proudofwhatyouaredoing,prouderstillofthetomorrowstocome.ItcanbeatimewhentheworldagainlookstoChinaforthevigorofitsculture,thefreshnessofitsthinking,theelevationofhumandignitythatisapparentinitsworks.Itcanbeatimewhentheoldestofnationshelpstomakeanewworld.

TheUnitedStateswantstoworkwithyoutomakethattimeareality.

Thankyouverymuch.(Applause.)