[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1998, Book I)]
[June 25, 1998]
[Pages 1060-1061]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



[[Page 1060]]


Remarks at the Arrival Ceremony in Xi'an, China
June 25, 1998

    Mayor Feng, Governor Cheng, Secretary Li, nim 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. I am 
delighted to begin my journey in Xi'an, once the capital of China, still 
the heartland of the Chinese people. I was raised in the heartland of my 
country. I know that the character of a nation is determined by the 
hard-working people who live here.
    Over 1,000 years ago, during the Tang Dynasty, which I have seen 
recreated tonight, 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.
    Tomorrow I look forward to seeing the Terra Cotta 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's 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. The China that gave us 
printing now boasts fax machines, computers, and cell phones. Xi'an is 
home to filmmakers, Internet explorers, businesspeople 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.
    Respect for the worth, the dignity, the potential, and the freedom 
of every citizen is a vital source of America's strength and success. 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 America'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 Rites,'' what you call the ``Li Shi'': ``When the great way is 
followed, all under heaven will be equal.''
    Xie xie. Thank you very much.

Note: The President spoke at 8:55 p.m. at the South Gate of the Old 
City. In his remarks, he

[[Page 1061]]

referred to Mayor Feng Xuchu of Xi'an; and Governor Cheng Andong and 
Party Secretary Li Jianguo of Shaanxi Province.