[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2001, Book II)]
[October 19, 2001]
[Pages 1268-1269]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
[[Page 1268]]
Remarks to the United States Embassy Community in Shanghai
October 19, 2001
Thank you all very much. Look who I brought with me: Ambassador
Randt's boss, the Secretary of
State, who, by the way, is doing a fabulous
job on behalf of the American people. I want to thank all my fellow
Americans who are here, those of you who are working for a great land
and a great people. I also want to thank the Foreign Service nationals
who are here as well.
All of us are very proud of the job that you're doing. I want to say
that I sent a clear signal to China that I take this relationship very
seriously, that it's of paramount concern to my administration, when I
picked my longtime friend to be the Ambassador to this country. I've
known Clark T. for a long, long period
of time. I know him to be a man who is bright, intelligent, a man who
understands China well. He's going to be a great ambassador to this
country.
Hank, I want to thank you as well.
I know how much work goes into making sure one of these trips goes well.
After all, our delegation is only occupying three full hotels.
[Laughter] It's good for the economy when the President shows up.
[Laughter] But I want to thank you, and I want to thank your office and
all the people who have helped with the arrangements for this important
trip.
Sergeant, I want to thank you, as well, for
your service to the country. As you all know, I committed American
troops to a very important cause in the last couple of weeks. And I did
so with the full confidence that our military is the best in the world.
The American people have got the full confidence that our military will
fulfill its mission. And one of the reasons that I've got so much
confidence is, I know many of the people who wear the uniform. Sergeant
Khaled represents the fine quality of the men
and women who serve our country. And Sergeant, thank you very much for
being here.
Before I work my way through the ropeline to shake everybody's hand
and thank you for coming, maybe take a picture or two, I want to give
you a report from the homefront, what it's like in the United States.
The United States of America is united. It is strong. It is determined
to reject evil, to fight terrorism. The United States people are very
patient. They understand that we've entered into a new kind of conflict,
and they, like the President and the Secretary of State, are ready to do whatever it takes to win. We will not let
terrorism stand.
Our fight is not against a religion or a nation. Our fight is
against evil people and a government that houses them. Our fight is
against the evildoers, individuals who think so evil that they're
willing to murder innocent people, and those who house them. The
doctrine is, is that those who have committed crimes against America and
crimes against freedom will be held accountable. But so will nations who
harbor them, who feed them, and who hide them.
And our great Government, along with others, is now making that
statement clear to the world. And we're making good progress. We've got
them on the run. And slowly but surely we're pulling the net of justice
around them--``they'' being the Taliban as the host and the Al Qaida as
the parasite. And we will bring them to justice; make no mistake about
it. And the world will be better for it when we do.
I had a very good meeting with President Jiang today. He understands that--he understands the threat
that terrorism means not only to America but to nations around the
world. And he also is willing to join with us in the war against terror.
The war against terror is more than just conventional
[[Page 1269]]
means, the war against terror--using conventional means. The war against
terror means smart diplomacy, and for those of you on the diplomatic
front, thank you for helping wage that war.
The war against terror means sharing of information. And the Chinese
Government is more than willing to work with us as we share information,
as we hunt these evildoers down. The war against terror is fought on all
kinds of fronts. And whether you realize it or not, you're on the
front--on the frontlines of this war. And we want to thank you for that.
I come to this important--I come to this meeting in a time of
uncertainty in America. And I did so because I wanted our country to
have the confidence that our Government is doing everything we can to
win, that we're going to continue to build coalitions, we're going to
continue to rally the world.
At home, I want to assure you that we're responding quickly. Perhaps
you've read about these anthrax mailings. We don't know who did it yet.
But if you've got relatives at home, I can assure you that our
Government is taking the necessary actions to make sure Americans are
treated quickly when we find any exposure to our fellow citizens.
We're doing everything we can at home to disrupt the evildoers. The
Justice Department is on full alert. The FBI is active, within the
Constitution of the United States of America. We're protecting your
loved ones and your relatives in America. But I also will remind you
that the surest way to make sure America is protected, and other
governments and countries are protected, is to win the war, is to find
them, patiently hunt them down, and bring them to justice. And that's
exactly what our great land is going to do.
I'm glad to be back in China. I was here when my mother and dad
lived here in the mid-seventies. You weren't here then, were you?
[Laughter] There's a man who's got a lot of tenure. I've got to tell
you, I was amazed--as a matter of fact, my mother and my family--except
for my dad--got on a train in 1975 and motored down from Beijing to
Shanghai. And I still remember Shanghai. But what I drove through last
night from the airport just was mind-boggling. It is a great testament
to the ingenuity and drive of the Chinese people. It was--it's going to
be hard to describe to my fellow citizens what I saw. It is miraculous
and incredible, really. And I think it's--those of you probably who have
been here for a while take it for granted. I didn't, and I was amazed.
But it speaks to the great opportunities that exist between China
and the United States. The relationship is a very important
relationship, one that I take seriously and one that I'm confident will
be a positive relationship that will lead to not only strong relations
at the governmental level but good relations between our two peoples.
I want to thank you again for working on behalf of the great land
called America. We're strong. We are steady. We're united. I'm so proud
of the American people, and I'm honored to be the President of the
greatest land on the face of the Earth. Thank you for coming, and may
God bless.
Note: The President spoke at 3:14 p.m. in the Shanghai Center Atrium at
the Portman Ritz-Carlton Hotel. In his remarks, he referred to Clark T.
Randt, Jr., U.S. Ambassador to China; Henry ``Hank'' Levine, U.S. Consul
General in Shanghai; Sgt. Khaled Hafid, USMC; and President Jiang Zemin
of China.