Political Quotes

“Thank you, Mr. President, Madam Speaker. It was a great honor and privilege for me to be with six former Members of the House of Representatives on the Democrat and Republican sides to go to China. The last time I was in China was 1995. I might say much has changed, and I sure miss those bicycles. I think they've listened too much to the Western World. The bicycles are gone, particularly in the coastal areas, and the automobiles/motor scooters have truly taken over. China, as you all know, has still got a major challenge in being a developing nation. The coastal areas are most prosperous, but in the rural areas, where 700 million people live--half the population--they still live in abject poverty. I will say, with the Chinese--and I can speak for the entire delegation who were part of this experience sponsored by the Former Members of Congress Association--I was most impressed with their openness. We had the chance to meet with some of the top officials in government, business leaders, even including one billionaire China businessman, as well as the academic community--Chung Hua University, which is looked upon as the number one university in China. All of those experiences were very open. What I've noticed and observed is the fact that the Chinese Communists still control and dominate in China, but even kids in kindergarten are learning English, all the way from kindergarten up. The Communist Party is still in control, but China is not as isolated as it once was.…”