China's reform and opening-up aims at promoting human rights inChina.The two are mutually dependent and reinforcing.Reform and opening-up creates conditions for the advancement of human rights, and the latter invigorates the former.If one separates the two and thinks thatChinaonly goes after economic growth and ignores the protection of human rights, such a view does not square with the facts.Just as your former President Franklin Roosevelt said, "True individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence," and "Necessitous men are not free men."
I am not suggesting thatChina's human rights situation is impeccable.The Chinese Government has all along been making earnest efforts to correct the malpractices and negative factors of one kind or another in the human rights field.It is extremely important and difficult inChinato combine development, reform and stability.Seeing is believing.If our friends come toChinaand see for themselves, they will be able to judge objectively and appreciate the proGREss made there in human rights and the Chinese Government's hard work in upholding human rights since the beginning of reform and opening-up.
Chinais a large developing country. It is neither proper nor possible for us to rely on foreign countries for development.We must, and we can only, rely on our own efforts.In other words, while opening still wider to the outside world, we must more fully and more consciously depend on our own structural innovation, on constantly expanding the domestic market, on converting the huge savings of the citizens into investment, and on improving the quality of the population and scientific and technological proGREss to solve the problems of resources and the environment.Here lies the essence ofChina's road of peaceful rise and development.
Of course,Chinais still a developing country.There is an obvious gap between its urban and rural areas and between its eastern and western regions.If you travel to the coastal cities inChina's southeast, you will see modern sights of skyscrapers, busy traffic and brightly-lit streets.But in ruralChina, especially in the central and western rural parts, there are still many backward places.In the poor and remote mountain villages, folks still use manual labor and animals to till the land.They live in houses made of sun-dried mud bricks.In times of severe drought, there will be scarcity of drinking water for people and animals.A Chinese poet-magistrate of the 18thcentury wrote:
The rustling of bamboo outside my door.
Sounds like the moaning of the needy poor.
AsChina's Premier, I am often torn with anxiety and unable to eat or sleep with ease when I think of the fact that there are still 30 million farmers lacking food and clothing, 23 million city-dwellers living on subsistence allowances and 60 million disabled and handicapped people in need of social security aid.ForChinato reach the level of the developed countries, it will still take the sustained hard work of several generations, a dozen generations or even dozens of generations.
China tomorrow will continue to be a major country that loves peace and has a GREat deal to look forward to.
Peace-loving has been a time-honored quality of the Chinese nation.The First Emperor of Qin Dynasty commanded the building of the GREat Wall two thousand years ago for defensive purposes.The Tang Dynasty opened up theSilk Roadone thousand years ago in order to sell silk, tea and porcelain to other parts of the world.Five hundred years ago Zheng He, the famous diplomat-navigator of the Ming Dynasty, led seven maritime expeditions to seek friendly ties with other countries, taking alongChina's exquisite products, advanced farming and handicraft skills.The great Russian writer Leo Tolstoy was right when he called the Chinese nation "the oldest and largest nation" and "the most peace-loving nation in the world".
As the modern times began, the ignorance, corruption and self-imposed seclusion of the feudal dynasties ledChinato prolonged social stagnation, declining national strength and repeated invasions by the foreign powers.Despite compounded disasters and humiliation, the Chinese nation never gave up and managed to emerge from each setback stronger than before.A nation learns a lot more in times of disaster and setback than in normal times.
Now,Chinahas laid down her three-step strategy toward modernization.From now to 2020,Chinawill complete the building of a well-off society in an all-round way.By 2049, the year the People's Republic will celebrate its centenary, we will have reached the level of a medium-developed country.We have no illusions but believe that on our way forward, we shall encounter many foreseeable and unpredictable difficulties and face all kinds of tough challenges.We cannot afford to lose such a sense of crisis.Of course, the Chinese Government and people are confident enough to overcome all the difficulties and achieve our ambitious goals through our vigorous efforts.This is because:
- The overriding trend of the present-day world is towards peace and development.China's development is blessed with a rare period of strategic opportunities.We are determined to secure a peaceful international environment and a stable domestic environment in which to concentrate on our own development and, with it, to help promote world peace and development.
- The socialismChinaadheres to is brimming with vigor and vitality.Socialism is like an ocean that takes in all the rivers and will never go dry.While planting our feet solidly on our national conditions, we will boldly press ahead with reform and opening-up and boldly absorb all fine achievements of human civilizations.There is no limit to the life and exuberance of a socialism that is good at self-readjustment and self-improvement.
- Twenty-five years of reform and opening-up has givenChinaa considerable material accumulation, and her economy has gained a foothold in the world.The motivation ofChina's millions to pursue happiness and create wealth is an inexhaustible reservoir of drive for the country's modernization.
- The Chinese nation has rich and profound cultural reserves. "Harmony without uniformity" is a GREat idea put forth by ancient Chinese thinkers.It means harmony without sameness, and difference without conflict.Harmony entails co-existence and co-prosperity, while difference conduces to mutual complementation and mutual support.To approach and address issues from such a perspective will not only help enhance relations with friendly countries, but also serve to resolve contradictions in the international community.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
A deeper mutual understanding is a two-way process.I hope American young people will turn their eyes toChina.I also trust our young people will turn their eyes more to theUS.
TheUnited Statesis a GREat country.Since the days of the early settlers, the Americans, with their toughness, frontier spirit, pragmatism, innovation, their respect for knowledge, admission of talents, their scientific tradition and rule of law, have forged the prosperity of their country.The composure, courage and readiness to help one another shown by the American people in face of the 9.11 terrorist attacks are truly admirable.
Entering the 21stcentury, mankind is confronted with more complicated economic and social problems.The cultural element will have a more important role to play in the new century.Different nations may speak different languages, but their hearts and feelings are interlinked.Different cultures present manifold features, yet they often share the same rational core elements that can always be passed on by people.The civilizations of different nations are all fruits of human wisdom and contribution to human proGREss; they call for mutual respect.Conflicts triggered by ignorance or prejudice are sometimes more dreadful than those caused by contradictory interests.We propose to seek common ground in the spirit of equality and tolerance, and carry on extensive inter-civilization dialogue and closer cultural exchanges.
