June 25, 1998
Mayor Feng,Governor Cheng,Secretary Li,Ni Men Hao.
Thank you for the key to your city and for this magnificent welcome. Here in this ancient capital, China seems very young to me tonight, blessed with both a proud history and the promise of tomorrow. Xi'an was perhaps the most open and culturally advanced city in the entire world. From this place, trade routes extended through Asia to Europe and Africa. And to this place, great thinkers came, spreading philosophy and new ideas that have contributed to the greatness of china.
I look forward to seeing the Terracotta Warriors, the old city walls, the Muslim quarter. I look forward to learning more about China's great contributions to the store of human knowledge from medicine and printing, to mathematics and astronomy. Discoveries on which so much of the whole world progress is based.And I want to see more of the new nation you are building on a scale even the emperors could not have foreseen.
China that gave us printing now boasts fax machines, computers and cell phones. Xi'an is home to film makers, internet explorers and business people of every description. Here in this city, famous for calligraphy, a new chapter in china's story is being written.
We Americans admire your accomplishments, your economy, your hard work, creativity and vision, your efforts against hunger and poverty, your work with us on peace and stability in Korea and South Asia. A new day is dawning for the Chinese people, for China's greatness lies as always with its people.
Our own history has convinced Americans that the greatness of any country is measured in its people, in their shared reverence for family and community, for work and learning, and in their individual thoughts, beliefs, and creativity.
In this global information age where both economic growth and individual opportunity are based on ideas, a commitment to providing all human beings the opportunity to develop their full potential,is vital to the strength and success of the new China as well.
As I travel across China, I hope to learn as much as I can about the Chinese people, your history, and your dreams for the future. And I hope to help the Chinese people understand more of American's history, the lessons the American people have drawn from it, and the dreams we hold for the 21st Century.
I believe both Chinese and Americans aspire to many of the same things: to provide for our families, to teach our children, to build our communities, to protect our earth, to shape our own futures and pass brighter possibilities on to our children.
There may be those here and back in America who wonder whether closer ties and deeper friendship between America and China are good. Clearly the answer is yes. We have a powerful ability to help each other grow. We can learn much from each other. And as two great nations we have a special responsibility to the future of the world. The steps we take over the next week can lead to far greater strides for our people in the years ahead.
Here in this city of your magnificent history we must always remember that we too are ancestors. Someday our children and their children will ask if we did all we could to build just societies and a more peaceful world. Let our monument be their judgment that we did that. Let our progress include all people with all their differences moving toward a common destiny. Let us give new meaning to the words written in the ancient Book of Rights what you call the Liji:" when the great way is followed, all under heaven will be equal." Xie, xie. Thank you very much.
1998年6月25日
馮市長、程省長、李書記,你們好。
謝謝你們贈予的城市之匙和這個盛大的歡迎儀式。在這座古老的城市,中國今晚顯得分外年輕,它天賜般的擁有讓人驕傲的歷史和美好的未來。西安曾經是世界文化史上極為開放和發(fā)達的城市。從這個地方貿易之路延伸到了亞洲,通向了歐洲和非洲。這里匯集了很多偉大的思想家,他們傳播哲學以及新思想,這些觀念讓中國變得強大起來。
我期待著看到兵馬俑、古城墻和穆斯林廣場。我期盼了解更多關于中國對保存人類知識寶庫所做的偉大貢獻,從醫(yī)藥和印刷術到數學和天文學——全世界很多進步都是建立在這些發(fā)現之上的。另外我還想看一看你們正在進行大規(guī)模經濟建設的新國家,這些景象是過去的帝王所不能預見的。
曾向世界貢獻了印刷術的中國,現在擁有了傳真機、計算機和移動電話,并引以為豪。西安是電影制作人的家園,網絡開發(fā)人員和各路商人云集于此。在這個以書法而聞名的城市,正在抒寫中國新的篇章。
我們美國人民欽佩你們偉大的成就、迅速發(fā)展的經濟、勤勞的工作、巨大的創(chuàng)造力和遠見。我們也欽佩你們?yōu)橄毨Ш宛囸I所做出的努力以及為朝鮮和南亞的和平和穩(wěn)定與我們的合作。中國人民正在迎接嶄新的一天。中國的偉大蘊藏于人民。
我們自己的歷史也使美國人民確信,任何一個國家的偉大要由她的人民來衡量——由他們享有的對家庭和團體、對工作和知識的尊重,對獨創(chuàng)性的思維、信仰和創(chuàng)造力的尊重來決定。
在這個全球信息化的時代,經濟的成長和個人機遇都建立在原創(chuàng)性的觀念之上,承諾向全人類提供發(fā)展?jié)撃艿臋C遇對新中國的力量和成功也是至關重要的。
在我遍訪中國之時,我希望盡我所能了解中國人民,了解你們的歷史,了解你們對未來的夢想。并且我希望能幫助中國人民更多地理了解美國的歷史,了解美國人民從歷史中得到的教訓和我們對21世紀的夢想。
我相信中美兩國人民渴望著同樣的事情:供養(yǎng)家庭,教育后代,建造社區(qū),保護地球,塑造未來,并把一個更燦爛的機會留給后代。
在美國國內和這里或許都有這樣的人,他們質疑美中之間更緊密的聯系和更深厚的友誼是否適宜。顯而易見,答案是肯定的。我們有很強的能力來彼此提攜,我們可以取長補短,我們能夠互相學習許多東西。作為兩個偉大的國家,我們對未來有著特殊的使命。我們下周要采取的舉措會讓我們的人民在將來邁出更大的步伐。
在這個有著非凡歷史意義的城市,我們必須時刻記住,我們也是先輩。有一天我們的子孫將問到我們是否已經盡力建設公平的社會和一個更和平的世界。讓我們的紀念碑來為他們作出判斷,我們的確做到了。讓我們所有人求同存異,并肩前進,為我們共同的命運而奮斗。中國稱之為《禮記》的古代禮儀書上這樣說:“大道之行,天下為公。”,讓我們?yōu)檫@句話賦予新的時代意義。謝謝,非常感謝大家。