Obama Shanghai address 091116.docx

Obama Shanghai address 091116.docx

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ObamaShanghaiaddress091116

TheWhiteHouse

OfficeofthePressSecretary

ForImmediateRelease

November16,2009

RemarksbyPresidentBarackObamaatTownHallMeetingwithFutureChineseLeaders

MuseumofScienceandTechnology,Shanghai,China

1:

18P.M.CST

PRESIDENTOBAMA:

 Goodafternoon. ItisagreathonorformetobehereinShanghai,andtohavethisopportunitytospeakwithallofyou. I'dliketothankFudanUniversity'sPresidentYangforhishospitalityandhisgraciouswelcome. I'dalsoliketothankouroutstandingAmbassador,JonHuntsman,whoexemplifiesthedeeptiesandrespectbetweenournations. Idon'tknowwhathesaid,butIhopeitwasgood. （Laughter.） 

WhatI'dliketodoistomakesomeopeningcomments,andthenwhatI'mreallylookingforwardtodoingistakingquestions,notonlyfromstudentswhoareintheaudience,butalsowe'vereceivedquestionsonline,whichwillbeaskedbysomeofthestudentswhoarehereintheaudience,aswellasbyAmbassadorHuntsman. AndIamverysorrythatmyChineseisnotasgoodasyourEnglish,butIamlookingforwardtothischancetohaveadialogue.

ThisismyfirsttimetravelingtoChina,andI'mexcitedtoseethismajesticcountry. Here,inShanghai,weseethegrowththathascaughttheattentionoftheworld--thesoaringskyscrapers,thebustlingstreetsandentrepreneurialactivity. AndjustasI'mimpressedbythesesignsofChina'sjourneytothe21stcentury,I'meagertoseethoseancientplacesthatspeaktousfromChina'sdistantpast. TomorrowandthenextdayIhopetohaveachancewhenI'minBeijingtoseethemajestyoftheForbiddenCityandthewonderoftheGreatWall. Truly,thisisanationthatencompassesbotharichhistoryandabeliefinthepromiseofthefuture. 

Thesamecanbesaidoftherelationshipbetweenourtwocountries. Shanghai,ofcourse,isacitythathasgreatmeaninginthehistoryoftherelationshipbetweentheUnitedStatesandChina. Itwashere,37yearsago,thattheShanghaiCommuniqueopenedthedoortoanewchapterofengagementbetweenourgovernmentsandamongourpeople. However,America'stiestothiscity--andtothiscountry--stretchbackfurther,totheearliestdaysofAmerica'sindependence.

In1784,ourfoundingfather,GeorgeWashington,commissionedtheEmpressofChina,ashipthatsetsailfortheseshoressothatitcouldpursuetradewiththeQingDynasty.Washingtonwantedtoseetheshipcarrytheflagaroundtheglobe,andtoforgenewtieswithnationslikeChina. ThisisacommonAmericanimpulse--thedesiretoreachfornewhorizons,andtoforgenewpartnershipsthataremutuallybeneficial.

Overthetwocenturiesthathavefollowed,thecurrentsofhistoryhavesteeredtherelationshipbetweenourcountriesinmanydirections. Andeveninthemidstoftumultuouswinds,ourpeoplehadopportunitiestoforgedeepandevendramaticties.Forinstance,AmericanswillneverforgetthehospitalityshowntoourpilotswhowereshotdownoveryoursoilduringWorldWarII,andcaredforbyChinesecivilianswhoriskedallthattheyhadbydoingso. AndChineseveteransofthatwarstillwarmlygreetthoseAmericanveteranswhoreturntothesiteswheretheyfoughttohelpliberateChinafromoccupation.

Adifferentkindofconnectionwasmadenearly40yearsagowhenthefrostbetweenourcountriesbegantothawthroughthesimplegameoftabletennis. Theveryunlikelynatureofthisengagementcontributedtoitssuccess--becauseforallourdifferences,bothourcommonhumanityandoursharedcuriositywererevealed. AsoneAmericanplayerdescribedhisvisittoChina--"[The]peoplearejustlikeus…ThecountryisverysimilartoAmerica,butstillverydifferent."

OfcoursethissmallopeningwasfollowedbytheachievementoftheShanghaiCommunique,andtheeventualestablishmentofformalrelationsbetweentheUnitedStatesandChinain1979. Andinthreedecades,justlookathowfarwehavecome.

In1979,tradebetweentheUnitedStatesandChinastoodatroughly$5billion--todayittopsover$400billioneachyear.Thecommerceaffectsourpeople'slivesinsomanyways. AmericaimportsfromChinamanyofthecomputerpartsweuse,theclotheswewear;andweexporttoChinamachinerythathelpspoweryourindustry. ThistradecouldcreateevenmorejobsonbothsidesofthePacific,whileallowingourpeopletoenjoyabetterqualityoflife. Andasdemandbecomesmorebalanced,itcanleadtoevenbroaderprosperity. 

In1979,thepoliticalcooperationbetweentheUnitedStatesandChinawasrootedlargelyinoursharedrivalrywiththeSovietUnion. Today,wehaveapositive,constructiveandcomprehensiverelationshipthatopensthedoortopartnershiponthekeyglobalissuesofourtime--economicrecoveryandthedevelopmentofcleanenergy;stoppingthespreadofnuclearweaponsandthescourgeofclimatechange;thepromotionofpeaceandsecurityinAsiaandaroundtheglobe. AlloftheseissueswillbeontheagendatomorrowwhenImeetwithPresidentHu.

Andin1979,theconnectionsamongourpeoplewerelimited.Today,weseethecuriosityofthoseping-pongplayersmanifestedinthetiesthatarebeingforgedacrossmanysectors. ThesecondhighestnumberofforeignstudentsintheUnitedStatescomefromChina,andwe'veseena50percentincreaseinthestudyofChineseamongourownstudents. Therearenearly200"friendshipcities"drawingourcommunitiestogether. AmericanandChinesescientistscooperateonnewresearchanddiscovery. Andofcourse,YaoMingisjustonesignalofoursharedloveofbasketball--I'monlysorrythatIwon'tbeabletoseeaShanghaiSharksgamewhileI'mvisiting.

Itisnocoincidencethattherelationshipbetweenourcountrieshasaccompaniedaperiodofpositivechange. Chinahasliftedhundredsofmillionsofpeopleoutofpoverty--anaccomplishmentunparalleledinhumanhistory--whileplayingalargerroleinglobalevents. AndtheUnitedStateshasseenoureconomygrowalongwiththestandardoflivingenjoyedbyourpeople,whilebringingtheColdWartoasuccessfulconclusion.

ThereisaChineseproverb:

 "Considerthepast,andyoushallknowthefuture." Surely,wehaveknownsetbacksandchallengesoverthelast30years. Ourrelationshiphasnotbeenwithoutdisagreementanddifficulty. Butthenotionthatwemustbeadversariesisnotpredestined--notwhenweconsiderthepast. Indeed,becauseofourcooperation,boththeUnitedStatesandChinaaremoreprosperousandmoresecure. Wehaveseenwhatispossiblewhenwebuilduponourmutualinterests,andengageonthebasisofmutualrespect.

Andyetthesuccessofthatengagementdependsuponunderstanding--onsustaininganopendialogue,andlearningaboutoneanotherandfromoneanother. ForjustasthatAmericantabletennisplayerpointedout--wesharemuchincommonashumanbeings,butourcountriesaredifferentincertainways. 

Ibelievethateachcountrymustchartitsowncourse. Chinaisanancientnation,withadeeplyrootedculture. TheUnitedStates,bycomparison,isayoungnation,whosecultureisdeterminedbythemanydifferentimmigrantswhohavecometoourshores,andbythefoundingdocumentsthatguideourdemocracy.

Thosedocumentsputforwardasimplevisionofhumanaffairs,andtheyenshrineseveralcoreprinciples--thatallmenandwomenarecreatedequal,andpossesscertainfundamentalrights;thatgovernmentshouldreflectthewillofthepeopleandrespondtotheirwishes;thatcommerceshouldbeopen,informationfreelyaccessible;andthatlaws,andnotsimplymen,shouldguaranteetheadministrationofjustice.

Ofcourse,thestoryofournationisnotwithoutitsdifficultchapters. Inmanyways--overmanyyears--wehavestruggledtoadvancethepromiseoftheseprinciplestoallofourpeople,andtoforgeamoreperfectunion. Wefoughtaverypainfulcivilwar,andfreedaportionofourpopulationfromslavery. Ittooktimeforwomentobeextendedtherighttovote,workerstowintherighttoorganize,andforimmigrantsfromdifferentcornersoftheglobetobefullyembraced. Evenaftertheywerefreed,AfricanAmericansperseveredthroughconditionsthatwereseparateandnotequal,beforewinningfullandequalrights.

Noneofthiswaseasy. Butwemadeprogressbecauseofourbeliefinthosecoreprinciples,whichhaveservedasourcompassthroughthedarkestofstorms. ThatiswhyLincolncouldstandupinthemidstofcivilwaranddeclareitastruggletoseewhetheranynation,conceivedinliberty,and"dedicatedtothepropositionthatallmenarecreatedequal"couldlongendure.ThatiswhyDr.MartinLutherKingcouldstandonthestepsoftheLincolnMemorialandaskthatournationliveoutthetruemeaningofitscreed. That'swhyimmigrantsfromChinatoKenyacouldfindahomeonourshores;whyopportunityisavailabletoallwhowouldworkforit;andwhysomeonelikeme,wholessthan50yearsagowouldhavehadtroublevotinginsomepartsofAmerica,isnowabletoserveasitsPresident.

AndthatiswhyAmericawillalwaysspeakoutforthesecoreprinciplesaroundtheworld.  Wedonotseektoimposeanysystemofgovernmentonanyothernation,butwealsodon'tbelievethattheprinciplesthatwestandforareuniquetoournation. Thesefreedomsofexpressionandworship--ofaccesstoinformationandpoliticalparticipation--webelieveareuniversalrights. Theyshouldbeavailabletoallpeople,includingethnicandreligiousminorities--whethertheyareintheUnitedStates,China,oranynation. Indeed,itisthatrespectforuniversalrightsthatguidesAmerica'sopennesstoothercountries;ourrespectfordifferentcultures;ourcommitmen