Bill Clinton: “Special Administrative Region, China July 2, 1998 Chief Executive Tung. President Clinton, Mrs. Clinton, distinguished…”

“Special Administrative Region, China July 2, 1998 Chief Executive Tung. President Clinton, Mrs. Clinton, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. First of all, Mr. President, may I, on behalf of all the Hong Kong people, extend our sincerest and warmest welcome to you and to Mrs. Clinton. It is indeed a great pleasure and a unique honor to see you here in Hong Kong, the first serving U.S. President to make such a visit. And although your time here is very short, I hope you and Mrs. Clinton will leave with memories to last you a lifetime. Mr. President, as you know, your visit comes at an especially significant time in Hong Kong's history. We are celebrating our first anniversary as a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. Like the reunification itself just a year and one day ago, our first anniversary was a day of great pride--pride in that, after 156 years of separation, we are at last reunited with our own country. We are Chinese, and like you Americans, our patriotic feeling is something very natural to us. We were saddened by China's past humiliation, and rejoice and take pride in her improving fortune today. As we welcome the 21st century, we are confident China will be more open and more prosperous and will play an increasingly important and responsible role in world affairs in the interdependent global community.…”