Bill Clinton: “of China in Beijing June 27, 1998 President Jiang, Madame Wang , members of the Chinese Government, fellow guests; I am…”

“of China in Beijing June 27, 1998 President Jiang, Madame Wang , members of the Chinese Government, fellow guests; I am honored to be here representing the people of the United States in the Great Hall of the People, which reflects the impressive progress of the Chinese people in the 20th century. We Americans first saw it on our televisions 26 years ago when President Nixon became the first American leader to visit China. Those were the very first live pictures of China ever seen in my country. Across the United States, Americans were filled with great hope as relations resumed between our two great nations. That visit changed history. It reminded us of the warmth each nation felt for the other, long before the cold war. It recalled our alliance in World War II and our long history of commercial relations dating back to the infancy of the United States. We were trading together before our Constitution was written. Even the tea that our Founding Fathers threw into the Boston Harbor in 1773 to protest British taxes was from China. For most of our history we have looked upon China as a distant friend across the sea. As the Bamboo Curtain opened, Americans and Chinese learned about each other all over again. Starting with pandas and ping-pong players, we have built a broad and friendly relationship.…”