    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 44, Number 32 (Monday, August 18, 2008)]
    [Pages 1121-1122]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    The President's Radio Address

    August 9, 2008

        Good morning. I'm speaking to you from Beijing, where I've come to
    support American athletes participating in the Olympic games. This is a
    moment of pride for our Olympians and the great Nation they represent,
    and Laura and I are honored to share it with them.
        In addition to attending the Olympics, my schedule includes meeting
    with China's President, dedicating a new U.S. Embassy in Beijing, and
    worshiping at a local church. During my time here, I'm expressing
    America's deep concerns about freedom and human rights in China. This
    trip has reaffirmed my belief that men and women who aspire to speak
    their conscience and worship their God are no threat to the future of
    China; they are the people who will make China a great nation in the
    21st century.
        One of the most striking parts of this trip is seeing how much China
    has changed. I first visited the country more than three decades ago,
    when my dad was America's representative in Beijing. Poverty was
    rampant, and the streets swarmed with bicycles. Today, China is
    sprinting into the modern era. Beijing is covered in skyscrapers and
    filled with cars, and the people of China have more connections to the
    world than ever before.
        These changes present the Chinese people, the American people, and
    the world with tremendous opportunities. So over the past 8 years,
    America has sought to put our relationship with China on a more solid
    and principled footing. We've advanced both our nations' interests by
    expanding free and fair trade and encouraging the rise of a Chinese
    middle class, which can be an enormous market for American exports. We
    have also cooperated on other shared challenges, from fighting pandemic
    disease to opposing North Korea's nuclear weapons programs.

    [[Page 1122]]

        At the same time, America has spoken candidly and consistently about
    our concerns over the Chinese Government's behavior. We have made it
    clear that trusting their people with greater freedom is necessary for
    China to reach its full potential. We have emphasized that being a
    global economic leader carries with it the duty to act responsibly on
    matters from energy to the environment to development and Africa.
        Only China can decide what course it will follow, but I'm optimistic
    about the prospects. Young people who grow up with freedom in one area
    of their lives will ultimately demand freedom in other areas. The China
    of the future will reflect its own culture and traditions, but it will
    also reflect the universal aspirations of mankind. And there's no deeper
    human desire than liberty.
        America's relationship with China is one element of our broader
    strategy for the region. When I took office, I brought a clear
    conviction that America is a Pacific nation, and our engagement with
    Asia should be stronger than ever before. We've acted on that conviction
    by pursuing four broad objectives.
        We bolstered all five of our treaty alliances in the Asia Pacific
    region: Japan, Australia, the Philippines, and two countries I visited
    this week, South Korea and Thailand. We have strengthened our
    relationships with other free societies in Asia, including India, the
    world's largest democracy, and Indonesia, a democratic nation that is
    home to more Muslims than any other nation on Earth. We have seized
    opportunities for prosperity by negotiating new free trade agreements,
    including an historic agreement with South Korea, an agreement which our
    United States Congress must pass. And we helped bring together nations
    throughout the Asia Pacific to fight terrorism, seek an end to tyranny
    in Burma, respond to natural disasters, and address other challenges to
    our people and our prosperity.
        My trips to Asia as President have brought many uplifting moments.
    One of the most moving came this week in Seoul, when I spoke to American
    troops at the Yongsan Garrison. These men and women are carrying the
    burdens of military life far from home. Yet in their faces you can see a
    quiet pride that comes from having an important job and doing it right.
    These brave Americans are preserving peace, and they're sending a
    broader message about our approach toward Asia. Now and always, the
    United States will keep our word to our friends. We will stand
    confidently for liberty. And we will advance our Nation's interests and
    ideals by staying engaged in this pivotal part of the world.
        Thank you for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 7:20 p.m. on August 7 at Westin
    Beijing Chaoyang hotel in Beijing, China, for broadcast at 10:06 a.m.,
    e.d.t., on August 9. In his address, the President referred to President
    Hu Jintao of China. The transcript was made available by the Office of
    the Press Secretary on August 8 but was embargoed for release until the
    broadcast. Due to the 12-hour time difference, the radio address was
    broadcast after the President's remarks in Beijing. The Office of the
    Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of this
    address.