[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 37, Number 42 (Monday, October 22, 2001)]
[Pages 1511-1513]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
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

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signal to China that I take this relationship very seriously, that it's 
of paramount concern of 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 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

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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. at the Shanghai Center Atrium. In 
his remarks, he referred to Clark T. Randt, Jr., U.S. Ambassador to 
China; Sgt. Khaled Hafid, USMC; and President Jiang Zemin of China.