Max Baucus: “I rise today to address the upcoming summit in China and to stress the importance of this visit to U.S.- China…”

“I rise today to address the upcoming summit in China and to stress the importance of this visit to U.S.- China relations. Mr. President, as the age old adage says, ``A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.'' We should begin this journey with the first step--by defining our goals in Asia, and, more directly, in China. America's goals are simple: we want peace; we want prosperity and fair trade; and we want a decent world to live in. How do we achieve these goals? First, by guaranteeing peace and stability in the Pacific. That means preserving our permanent military presence in Asia. Remaining committed to our alliances with Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia. Defining our interests clearly to China. But it also means preventing unnecessary conflicts. And to do that we must find common ground. Remain engaged. Preserve and foster our working relationship with China. We must build and strengthen our diplomatic ties. In many ways China remains a challenge--a great wall in and of itself. Its intransigence in many areas of trade, human rights and arms proliferation presents a clear challenge for U.S. policy. Whether the topic is pirated software or the incarceration of political prisoners, China has often proved unwilling to adopt practices that the rest of the world perceives as reasonable and just. And when China behaves contrary to accepted norms, or to the rule of law, we must not look the other way.”