    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 46 (Monday, November 20, 2006)]
    [Pages 2055-2060]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    Remarks at the National Singapore University in Singapore

    November 16, 2006

        Thank you very much. Good evening. Laura and I are really pleased to
    be back in Singapore, and I appreciate the chance to come and speak to
    you at this fine university. I thank the Government, the people of
    Singapore for such gracious hospitality. I'm particularly pleased that
    my friend the Senior Minister Goh and his wife are with us today. Mr.
    Minister, thank you for joining us.
        I also had a very fine meeting with Prime Minister Lee earlier. I've
    come to know him as a wise man. I appreciate his good counsel. He's a
    friend and a partner, and he's a strong voice for peace and prosperity
    in Asia.
        Our roots, America's roots in Singapore are deep and enduring. I
    don't know if you know this or not, but our first counsel to Singapore
    arrived in the 1830s to promote American trade in this region. His wife
    was the daughter of one of America's most famous patriots, Paul Revere.
    She came to love the city, and she came to love its people. And to show
    that love, she donated a bell that was cast by the Revere Foundry to the
    old St. Andrew's Church. The Revere bell is now in the National Museum
    of Singapore, and it is a symbol of the long affection between the
    people of our two nations.
        The story of Singapore is a story of people who overcame challenges
    and transformed a small port city into one of the most prosperous
    nations on Earth. Many of you have parents or grandparents who remember
    riding ox carts, and now fly across the oceans from one the world's most
    modern airports. Some learned four national anthems over their
    lifetime--Britain's, Japan's, Malaysia's, and finally, Singapore's.
    Others recall Singapore's early days and the pessimists who predicted
    that a small country with no natural resources was doomed to fail.
        By your effort and enterprise, you have proven the pessimists wrong.
    And today, Singapore has one of the most vibrant economies in the entire
    world. In many ways, Singapore's transformation from a small trading
    outpost to a confident and prosperous leader is the story of Asia. Like
    Singapore, this region was mired in poverty after the Second World War.
    Like Singapore, the region had to overcome challenges that included war
    and occupation and colonialism. Like Singapore, the region faced threats
    from movements that sought to destabilize governments and impose their
    ideology on others. And like Singapore, the region has overcome these
    challenges, and the Asia we see today

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    is the fastest growing and most dynamic region in the world.
        The United States has long recognized that it is in our interests to
    help expand hope and opportunity throughout Asia. And our policies have
    reflected this commitment for more than six decades. By opening our
    doors to Asian goods, America has ensured that Asian workers and
    businesses and entrepreneurs would have access to the world's largest
    economy. By maintaining a strong military presence in the region,
    America has helped provide stability. And with these actions, America
    has helped contribute to the modern and confident Asia we see today--a
    region where people's incomes and opportunities are rising, where
    businesses compete in the global economy, and where citizens know that a
    world growing in trade is a world expanding in opportunity.
        In this new century, America will remain engaged in Asia, because
    our interests depend on the expansion of freedom and opportunity in this
    region. In this new century, our trade across the Pacific is greater
    than our trade across the Atlantic, and American businesses see a bright
    future in your thriving economies and rising middle class.
        In this new century, we see threats like terrorism and proliferation
    and disease that have the potential to undermine our prosperity and put
    our futures in doubt. Amid these challenges, we hear voices calling for
    us to retreat from the world and close our doors to its opportunities.
    These are the old temptations of isolationism and protectionism, and
    America must reject them. We must maintain our presence in the Pacific.
    We must seize on our common opportunities. We must be willing to
    confront our common threats. And we must help our partners build more
    hopeful societies throughout this vital part of the world.
        Building more hopeful societies starts with opening up to the
    opportunities of a global trading system. By opening up to trade,
    countries attract foreign investment they need to provide jobs and
    opportunities for their people. By opening up to trade, countries help
    attract the know-how that will enable them to compete in a global
    marketplace. And by opening up to trade, countries build wealth and
    empower their citizens.
        The United States has long been committed to a global trading system
    that is free and that is fair. And so is Singapore. Singapore was the
    host of the first meeting of the World Trade Organization in 1996, where
    we announced an important new agreement on information technology goods.
    A decade later, America and Singapore are again close partners working
    toward a common purpose, a breakthrough in the Doha negotiations. Only
    an ambitious Doha agreement with real market access can achieve the
    economic growth and development goals that this world has set, and we
    look to nations across the Asia-Pacific region to help put these vital
    talks back on track.
        To help build momentum for more open global trade, we're also
    opening up markets with individual nations. On this side of the Pacific,
    America has negotiated free trade agreements with Singapore and
    Australia, and we're negotiating similar agreements with Malaysia and
    South Korea. On the other side of the Pacific, we have successful free
    trade agreements with Canada and Mexico and Chile, and we've concluded
    negotiations with Peru. America believes in free and fair trade, and we
    will continue to open up new avenues to commerce and investment across
    this region.
        Tomorrow I'm going to travel to Vietnam for the annual summit of the
    Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum. APEC has a vital role to play
    in promoting more open trading. In 1994, in Bogor, Indonesia, APEC
    reached an historic agreement to liberalize trade and investment
    throughout the region by 2020, and the United States strongly supports
    this goal. Recently some APEC members have advanced the idea of a free
    trade agreement for the entire APEC region. I believe this idea deserves
    serious consideration. The United States believes that APEC is the
    premier economic forum in the region. We believe APEC has immense
    potential to expand free trade and opportunity across the Pacific, and
    we will do our part to help APEC become a stronger organization that
    serves as an engine for economic growth and opportunity throughout the
    region.
        The remarkable economic growth that this region has achieved points
    to a clear lesson: The expansion of trade is the most certain

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    path to lasting prosperity. America will continue to pursue trade at
    every level with individual countries, across all regions, and through
    the WTO. We will work to remove barriers to trade and investment, and by
    doing so, we will help reduce poverty and promote stability. And we will
    give citizens on both sides of the Pacific a brighter future.
        Building more hopeful societies means working together to confront
    the challenges that face the entire region. Open markets and the
    entrepreneurial spirit have set off historic economic booms in Asia.
    This economic growth creates new opportunities, and yet we've got to
    recognize it creates new challenges. We must find the energy to power
    our growing economies. We must counter the risk of pandemic disease. And
    we must bring more people into the circle of development and prosperity.
    Meeting these challenges will require the effort of every nation, and
    you can count on the commitment of the United States.
        As the economies of the Asia-Pacific thrive and expand, one of our
    most pressing needs will be an affordable, reliable supply of energy.
    Four of the world's top five energy consumers are APEC members, and the
    region's need for energy is going to continue to rise. The answer to
    this challenge is familiar in Asia: Harness the power of technology.
    Together, we must unleash the same spirit of innovation and enterprise
    that sparked the Asian economic revolution to spark a new revolution in
    new energy technologies.
        America knows the importance of developing new energy sources
    because we are too dependent on a single source, and that is oil. So
    we're investing aggressively in clean coal technology, renewable fuels
    like ethanol and biodiesel, and hydrogen fuel cells. Since 2001, we've
    spent nearly $10 billion on clean energy technologies, and we're going
    to invest even more in the years to come. Across this region, we're
    cooperating with friends and allies to share our discoveries. We are
    learning from your experiences, and we're going to work together to
    improve new energy technologies--it's in our mutual interest to do so.
        This cooperation includes several key initiatives that hold the
    promise of a cleaner and more energy-efficient world. Through the Asia-
    Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate, the United States
    is working with Australia and China and India and Japan and South Korea
    to share best practices and deploy new energy technologies. Last month,
    our partnership announced nearly 100 new projects, ranging from clean
    coal to renewable energy to more efficient buildings. These new
    technologies are helping us to improve our energy security, and as
    importantly, are helping to improve air quality by cutting greenhouse
    gas emissions.
        Through the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership, America is working
    with other leaders in nuclear energy, like Russia and France and Japan,
    to help developing nations use civilian nuclear energy, while guarding
    against weapons proliferation. And through the APEC Biofuels Task Force,
    we're working with nations across the region to search for new ways to
    replace oil with clean fuels made from palm oil and sugar cane and other
    natural products.
        My hope is that the investments that we make today will enable you
    to drive different kind of automobiles and to heat your homes and air-
    condition your homes using different sources of energy. It's in the
    world's interest that we work together to end our addiction from oil.
        Keeping our economies growing also requires protecting the health of
    our people. Four years ago, we saw the SARS virus inflict terrible
    damage on Asian-Pacific economies, a virus that claimed the lives of
    hundreds of people all across the world. Now this region faces a new
    threat of avian flu, and we're working together to address that threat.
    Vietnam was recently among the nations hardest hit by avian flu. Then
    Vietnam's leaders started to share information with the international
    community, and improve monitoring and public awareness, and take the
    difficult step of culling birds that might be infected. Vietnam's
    decisive actions have paid off. When I arrive in Hanoi for the APEC
    summit tomorrow, the country will have gone more than a year without a
    human case of avian flu. Our strategy is beginning to work.
        At our summit, leaders will reaffirm our mutual responsibilities to
    report new avian

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    flu cases, to contain the spread of animal outbreaks, and to follow wise
    preparedness plans. We've taken the important steps to stop the spread
    of avian flu, but we must continue to increase cooperation to ensure
    that if the pandemic ever does break out, the world will be ready to
    deal with it.
        America has committed over $15 billion to fight the spread of HIV/
    AIDS across the world. Today, Vietnam has an estimated 280,000 citizens
    who suffer from this deadly virus, and many more who are in danger of
    becoming infected. Through our emergency plan for AIDS relief, we're
    working with Vietnam to do something about it. We've launched an
    ambitious 5-year program to help Vietnam meet three clear goals: to
    support treatment for 22,000 people; to support care for 110,000 people;
    and to support testing and prevention for 660,000 people.
        Since 2004, we've provided more than $138 million for this plan.
    We've helped bring relief to thousands of Vietnamese. It is in our
    interest to help defeat the spread of HIV/AIDS. This is a global
    challenge that grows daily and must be confronted directly. And I look
    forward to working with our Asian partners to do our duty to defeat this
    disease.
        Our partners also know they can count on the United States when a
    disaster strikes suddenly. After the tsunami struck in 2004, we quickly
    dispatched military assistance and humanitarian relief to save lives and
    help devastated communities rebuild. By coming to the aid of people in
    dire need, America showed the good heart of our citizens and the depth
    of our friendship in this region.
        Our commitments extend far beyond responding to disaster, and they
    must if we expect this world to be peaceful and prosperous. We're
    helping countries like the Philippines and Indonesia to provide their
    children an education that prepares them to succeed in the global
    economy. My administration started a new and bold foreign policy--
    foreign aid initiative called the Millennium Challenge Account. The
    United States will provide financial assistance to developing nations
    that govern justly--in other words, fight corruption--that invest in
    their people and enforce the rule of law. We've signed a Millennium
    Challenge threshold agreement with the Philippines. We will soon begin
    discussions with Peru. And tomorrow we will sign an agreement with
    Indonesia. By providing governments that are committed to reform vital
    aid, we will help bring this region closer to a day when the benefits of
    economic growth and prosperity reach every citizen.
        America has a clear approach to the challenges of the Asia-Pacific
    region. We believe that alleviating poverty and fighting disease and
    harnessing the benefits of technology require partnership, not
    paternalism. And the United States makes this pledge: Every nation that
    works to advance prosperity, health, and opportunity for all its people
    will find a ready partner in the United States.
        Building more hopeful societies depends on a foundation of security.
    At the start of this young century, the nations of the Asia-Pacific
    region face a profound challenge: The same technology and global
    openness that have transformed our lives also threaten our lives. The
    same innovations that make it easier to build cars and computers make it
    easier to build weapons of mass destruction. The same advances in
    international transportation and finance that allow a manufacturer in
    Singapore to sell electronics to a store in San Francisco would also
    allow a proliferating regime in the Far East to sell dangerous
    technologies to a terrorist organization in the Middle East.
        The danger is unmistakable. In an age of unprecedented technological
    advances, irresponsible behavior by a few can have catastrophic
    consequences for the entire world. The people of this region understand
    the threat that the world faces because they have been the targets of
    terrorist violence. The terrorists have attacked a nightclub in Bali, a
    hotel in Jakarta, a ferry packed with passengers in Manila Bay, a school
    full of children in Russia, Australia's Embassy in Indonesia, and other
    targets.
        The killers who committed these acts of terror are more than
    criminals; they are followers of a clear and focused ideology that hates
    freedom and rejects tolerance and despises all dissent. Their stated
    goal is to establish a totalitarian Islamic empire stretching from
    Europe to Southeast Asia. The greatest danger in our world today is that
    these terrorists could get their hands on weapons of mass destruction
    and use them to blackmail free

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    nations or to kill on an unimaginable scale. This threat poses a risk to
    our entire civilization, and all our nations must work together to
    defeat it.
        In this region, the most immediate threat of proliferation comes
    from North Korea. America's position is clear: The transfer of nuclear
    weapons or materiel by North Korea to states or non-state entities would
    be considered a grave threat to the United States, and we would hold
    North Korea fully accountable for the consequences of such action. For
    the sake of peace, it is vital that the nations of this region send a
    message to North Korea that the proliferation of nuclear technology to
    hostile regimes or terrorist networks will not be tolerated.
        After North Korea's recent nuclear test, the United Nations Security
    Council passed a unanimous resolution making it clear that the regime's
    pursuit of nuclear weapons is unacceptable. The resolution imposes
    sanctions on North Korea's regime, and America will work with our
    partners to enforce those sanctions. We'll also continue working with
    Japan and China and South Korea and Russia through the six-party talks.
    Our nations are speaking with one voice: The only way for North Korea to
    move forward, for the good of their people, is to abandon its nuclear
    weapons programs and rejoin the international community.
        North Korea recently took an encouraging step when it agreed to come
    back to the table and restart the six-party talks. The United States
    wants these talks to be successful, and we will do our part. If North
    Korea chooses a peaceful path, America and our partners in the six-party
    talks are prepared to provide security assurances, economic assistance,
    and other benefits to the North Korean people.
        Ultimately, the success of these talks depends on the regime in
    North Korea. Pyongyang must show it's serious--show it is serious by
    taking concrete steps to implement its agreement to give up its nuclear
    weapons and weapons programs.
        As we work for a Korean Peninsula free of nuclear weapons, we're
    also strengthening defense cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.
    Unlike Europe, where our security cooperation takes place through the
    NATO Alliance, America's security cooperation in Asia takes place
    largely through bilateral defense relations.
        America places the highest value on these partnerships. We're
    committed to strengthening our existing partnerships and to building new
    ones. With Japan, we continue to work closely to field a missile defense
    system to protect both our countries and others in the region from rogue
    regimes threatening blackmail and/or destruction. With South Korea, we
    have upgraded our deterrent capabilities, while reducing our footprint
    and repositioning U.S. troops stationed in the country. With Australia,
    we're working to improve joint training of our forces and increase
    cooperation in areas such as intelligence and missile defense research.
    With the Philippines, we're working to improve the capabilities of the
    nation's armed forces to fight terrorism and other threats. With India,
    we signed an historic agreement to expand defense cooperation, increase
    joint exercises, and improve intelligence sharing. With Vietnam, our
    Navy has made four port calls over the past 3 years, the first visits by
    U.S. military ships since the Vietnam war. And with Singapore, we signed
    a new strategic framework agreement that provides for joint military
    exercises and cooperation in military research and development.
        By building new defense relationships and strengthening existing
    alliances, we are ensuring that the forces of freedom and moderation in
    this region can defend themselves against the forces of terror and
    extremism.
        In addition to these bilateral defense relationships, America
    welcomes the growing multilateral security cooperation in this region.
    Today, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia are coordinating
    patrols in the Strait of Malaka and working to combat terrorism, piracy,
    and human trafficking. Through the Proliferation Security Initiative, 80
    countries are cooperating to stop the spread of weapons of mass
    destruction and related materiel through air, land, and sea. APEC
    members know that advancing trade and opportunity throughout the Pacific
    requires safe travel and transport, so we will continue to work together
    to improve the security of our ports and airports and transportation
    routes.

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        With all these efforts, the nations of this region are answering the
    threats of the 21st century. And in doing so, we are laying the
    foundation of security and peace for generations to come. In the long
    run, the surest path to security is the expansion of liberty and
    freedom. History shows that free societies are peaceful societies.
    Democracies do not attack each other. Governments accountable to voters
    focus on building roads and schools, not weapons of mass destruction.
    Young people who have a say in their future are less likely to search
    for meaning in extremism. And nations that commit to freedom for their
    people don't support terrorists and extremists but, in fact, will join
    together to defeat them.
        America is committed to advancing freedom and democracy as the great
    alternatives to repression and radicalism. We will take the side of
    democratic leaders and reformers. We will support the voices of
    tolerance and moderation across the world. We will stand with the
    mothers and fathers in every culture who want to see their children grow
    up in a caring and peaceful society.
        We recognize that every democracy will reflect the unique culture
    and history of its people. Yet we recognize that there are universal
    freedoms, that there are God-given rights for every man, woman, and
    child on the face of this Earth. The people of Asia have faith in the
    power of freedom because you've seen freedom transform nations across
    your continent.
        At the beginning of World War II, this side of the Pacific had only
    two democracies: Australia and New Zealand. Today, millions of Asians
    live in freedom. Freedom has unleashed the creative talents of people
    throughout Asia. Freedom has helped prosperity sweep across the region.
        In all that lies ahead, the people of this region will have a
    partner in the American Government and a friend in the American people.
    Together the people of America and Asia have endured dark and uncertain
    hours. Together we've seen modern nations rise from the rubble of war
    and launch dynamic economies that are the envy of the world. Together we
    will confront the challenges of the new century and build a more hopeful
    and peaceful and prosperous future for our children and our
    grandchildren.
        I appreciate your hospitality. Thank you for letting me come by and
    share some thoughts with you. May God bless the people of Singapore.

    Note: The President spoke at 6:04 p.m. in the University Cultural Centre
    Theatre. In his remarks, he referred to Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong of
    Singapore, and his wife, Tan Choo Leng; and Prime Minister Lee Hsien
    Loong of Singapore.