第三篇 Passage 3

We will have it in February the 30th anniversary of the first visit to China by President Nixon, and the release of the Shanghai Communiqué. The visit by President Bush coincides with this day, and his visit is highly meaningful. Thirty years ago, leaders of China and the United States acted together to put an end to mutual estrangement and open the gate for exchange and cooperation between the two countries.

History has proven that it was with great vision that our leaders took this major move. The growth of bilateral ties over the years has brought tangible benefits to the two peoples and played an important role in safeguarding peace in the Asia-Pacific region and the world as a whole.

At present, despite profound changes in the international situation, China and the United States have more rather than less shared interests, and more rather than less common responsibility for world peace. The importance of the relationship has increased, rather than decreased. So to build a constructive and cooperative relationship serves the desire of not only the people of the two countries, but also the people throughout the world.

The Chinese side is ready to join the U.S. side in reflecting on the past and looking to the future, increasing exchanges and cooperation, and enhancing understanding and trust. I’m deeply convinced that so long as the two sides bear in mind the general situation, take a long-term perspective, and abide by the principles in the three Sino-U.S. joint communiqués, the relationship will make even bigger strides forward in the years ahead.

We’re living in a world of diversity. As two major countries with different national conditions, China and U.S. have, indeed, had some disagreements. But they also share broad and important common interests. So the old mind-sets that view the relationship between countries as either of alliance or confrontation ought to be abandoned, and a new security concept that features security through mutual trust and cooperation through mutual benefit should be established.

It’s true that since the inception of reform and opening-up program, China’s national strength and people’s living standards have somewhat improved in recent years. Yet, compared with the developed countries, our economic and cultural development remains quite backward. With a population of 1.3 billion, the road ahead is still very long before we can basically complete modernization and deliver a better life to all our people.

To focus on economic development and improvement of people’s livelihoods is our long-term central task. What China wants most is a peaceful and tranquil international environment with long-term stability. An old Chinese saying goes, “do not do onto others what you would not have them do onto you.” Even China becomes more developed in the future, it will not go for bullying or threatening other countries. Facts have proven already, and will continue to prove that China is a staunch force dedicated to the maintenance of peace in the region and the world, at large.