"No More Business As Usual: A Vision
                                         Of U.S.-China Policy In The 21st
                                                     Century" 

                                                    Steve Forbes

                                         Address At The Richard Nixon Library
 
                                    It is a great honor to be here at the Nixon Library.
                                    And I am humbled to have the opportunity to talk
                                    about the U.S. foreign policy and the future of
                                    U.S.-China relations here at birthplace of such a bold
                                    and visionary China thinker as Richard Nixon. 

                                    But before I begin the heart of my remarks this
                                    morning, let me start by offering a few personal
                                    thoughts. 

                                    I first met then-Senator and Mrs. Nixon as a
                                    five-year-old boy during the 1952 campaign. They
                                    were visiting New Jersey and I had the opportunity to
                                    present some dolls to Mrs. Nixon and her daughters.
                                    The adults around kept stressing how lucky I was to
                                    have this honor. I was more concerned with not
                                    dropping and breaking the gifts. You'll be glad to
                                    know the presentation went without a hitch, and I
                                    thought the Nixons were particularly nice - for
                                    "grown-ups." 

                                    I remember meeting Vice President Nixon again
                                    when I was ten when he visited New Jersey to help
                                    out my father's ill-fated race for governor. My father
                                    lost that election. He liked to say he was "nosed out
                                    by a landslide." 

                                    Then in late 1978, the former President invited a
                                    small group of young journalists to meet with him to
                                    discuss world issues. It was a remarkable
                                    experience. This was President Nixon at his best -
                                    teeming with detailed insights about domestic and
                                    international politics. He was especially disturbed at
                                    the weakness of the United States under President
                                    Carter. As the Soviet empire slowly infiltrated ever
                                    deeper into Central America and Central Asia,
                                    President Nixon stressed that one could count on
                                    the Soviets to move quickly at our expense. He
                                    noted they often did so in stealthy ways that wouldn't
                                    arouse a vigorous reaction from the United States.
                                    For a young man so interested in history and politics
                                    and economics as I was, a session with such a
                                    seasoned, acutely perceptive historical figure was
                                    invaluable. 

                                    I was particularly impressed that this former
                                    President was so intent on becoming a factor again
                                    in influencing American foreign policy. His
                                    determination and self-discipline were extraordinary. 

                                    The rarely seen human side of Richard Nixon came
                                    through to me in 1990 when my father passed away.
                                    After the memorial service, he sent a moving,
                                    handwritten note. A simple, kind, personal gesture.
                                    And it meant a great deal. 

                                    I last saw President Nixon in 1991, at the dedication
                                    of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, where I
                                    just spoke yesterday. Despite the scorching sun, the
                                    President and Mrs. Nixon stayed throughout the
                                    whole ceremony. Stoic and disciplined as ever. They
                                    were a remarkable couple - loyal, loving and
                                    enduring until the end. They never gave up, never
                                    gave in. They always kept the faith. 

                                    You could not listen to Richard Nixon without coming
                                    away with a sense that this was a man with a
                                    tremendous grasp of history and strategy and
                                    America's role in a dangerous and complex world. 

                                    And there was something else. In his bones, he
                                    understood the unique mission of the American
                                    Presidency. He knew, as perhaps the current
                                    occupant does not, that the presidency is not a
                                    governorship writ large. The American President is
                                    the commander-in-chief - the chief executive officer
                                    of the world's only economic superpower - the face
                                    of American leadership to the world. 

                                    Which brings me to China. 

                                    The China Challenge 

                                    The rise of China as a new power is one of the
                                    greatest challenges we face as a nation as we enter
                                    the 21st century. Our failure to properly handle the
                                    rise of Germany and Japan earlier in the 20th century
                                    cost the world and us dearly. We dare not make the
                                    same mistake with China. 

                                    When President Nixon went to China, it was a bold,
                                    strategic, Cold War move to counter Soviet
                                    expansion and begin a necessary dialogue with the
                                    world's most populous nation. 

                                    This contact between Americans and the people of
                                    the Middle Kingdom was a moment of wonder.
                                    Today, the post-Cold War world is very different.
                                    The world is much smaller, our sense of the exotic
                                    has evaporated, while familiarity has bred no small
                                    degree of contempt, at least on the part of the
                                    government of China . 

                                    Some believe that China is like Germany under the
                                    Kaiser, an incipient and implacable enemy with
                                    whom we are destined to clash. Others are
                                    premature optimists who see China as predestined
                                    to evolve into a democracy. 

                                    I reject both views. Nothing is foreordained in the
                                    course of human events. 

                                    The only thing we can be sure of is that China is as
                                    unpredictable as ever. Indeed, the history of China is
                                    a succession of despotic dynasties punctuated by
                                    volcanic eruptions and fanatical movements. 

                                    In the middle of the 19th Century, China was ruled by
                                    the feeble Manchu dynasty. This weakness at the top
                                    encouraged the Taiping Rebellion, a powerful
                                    insurrection led by a disappointed office seeker who
                                    put thousands of men, women and children to the
                                    sword in the strange belief that he was the younger
                                    brother of Jesus Christ. 

                                    A century-and-a-half later, the government of China
                                    once again appears weak, not because it lacks the
                                    will to carry out acts of repression and violence, but
                                    because it is quickly losing ideological legitimacy. 

                                    China has a hybrid economy, one that depends on a
                                    measure of free enterprise to sustain shoddy,
                                    state-run outfits and crony capitalism. Such a system
                                    can maintain its rule with force. But it can no longer
                                    draw strength from the messianic fervor of Marx,
                                    Lenin and Mao. 

                                    Such ideological weakness - such intellectual rot - is
                                    an invitation for trouble. The simultaneous
                                    emergence of the Falun Gong cult on the one hand,
                                    and the explosive growth of Christianity on the other,
                                    are clear signs that the Chinese people are casting
                                    about for a new belief system to fill the void left by
                                    communism. 

                                    In short, China is an immensely important yet
                                    intensely unstable country. Its government seeks to
                                    be a global superpower while its people seek
                                    freedom and spiritual fulfillment. We must define
                                    U.S. policy towards China and the whole of Asia
                                    accordingly. 

                                    A Decade Of Drift And Indecision 

                                    In thinking about China today, I often wonder how
                                    Richard Nixon would assess our current status. I
                                    believe he would have been deeply concerned, as
                                    am I. 

                                    The decade since the massacre at Tiananmen
                                    Square has been a decade of drift, indecision and
                                    plain bad judgment. 

                                    The Clinton-Gore Administration clearly does not
                                    understand the realities inside China today. It still has
                                    no compass, no guiding principles, no sense of
                                    direction. 

                                    President Clinton calls his China policy "constructive
                                    engagement." I call it a study in confusion and mixed
                                    signals, often degenerating into appeasement. 

                                    In his first term, President Clinton's approach had all
                                    the predictability of a drunk driving on the road. We
                                    told Beijing terrible things would happen if human
                                    rights abuses persisted - and then backed down. We
                                    were ambiguous when China began its saber rattling
                                    with Taiwan in 1996 and let the crisis reach a
                                    dangerous level and China began test-launching
                                    missiles. Clearly, Beijing takes our president's
                                    statements no more seriously than he does. 

                                    Then there is the espionage. Read the bipartisan
                                    report by California Congressman Christopher Cox.
                                    The evidence is overwhelming. The Clinton-Gore
                                    Administration's national security ineptitude allowed
                                    Beijing to steal or buy America's most advanced
                                    thermonuclear weapons designs, state-of-the-art
                                    ballistic missile designs, high performance American
                                    supercomputers, and advanced satellite technology. 

                                    Then there is the subversion of our political system.
                                    The sale of political access in Washington to agents
                                    of Chinese intelligence has encouraged the PRC to
                                    believe they can freely ignore American principles
                                    because, after all, we can be bought. 

                                    Then there is the systematic demobilization of our
                                    armed forces. This Administration's budgets have
                                    seriously undercut our military preparedness in the
                                    Far East and done precious little to build ballistic
                                    missile defenses for us or our allies. 

                                    In short, we have had a non-policy based on
                                    non-principles, resulting in almost eight years of
                                    amateur-hour improvisations. If the next U.S.
                                    administration continues this drift and zigzagging, our
                                    children and grandchildren will ultimately pay the
                                    price. 

                                    A New China Policy 

                                    It is time to set a new course for American foreign
                                    policy in Asia. We need a principled President who
                                    will deal with China from a position of strength. We
                                    need a President willing to say to Beijing in no
                                    uncertain terms: No more business as usual. 

                                    No more shutting our ears to the cries of Christians,
                                    Buddhists and others suffering religious persecution
                                    in Chinese gulags. 

                                    No more turning a blind eye to Chinese spies in our
                                    nuclear labs. 

                                    No more keeping silent about Chinese slave labor
                                    camps, forced abortions and death-factory
                                    orphanages. 

                                    No more doing business with Chinese
                                    military-owned companies trafficking in weapons of
                                    mass destruction. 

                                    No more leaving our children and our allies
                                    vulnerable to Chinese nuclear missiles. 

                                    And no more sweetheart trade deals. 

                                    I share the American people's sense of frustration
                                    that our security and our values are constantly being
                                    trampled by Beijing, and the Clinton-Gore
                                    Administration does nothing. It is weak. It is reactive.
                                    It is rudderless - and it is wrong. 

                                    The question is: Where do we go from here? How
                                    do we get from where we are today to where we
                                    want to be? 

                                    Some believe the right course of action is to
                                    immediately revoke Most Favored Nation trade
                                    status - a form of "shock therapy" - to force China to
                                    stop its egregious military and human rights abuses. 

                                    And that is an entirely understandable point of view -
                                    especially given the White House's approach of
                                    "hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil" towards
                                    Beijing. 

                                    Indeed, we may very well need to revoke MFN. 

                                    But first we need a real China policy, a tough China
                                    policy. 

                                    We need Beijing to understand the rules of
                                    engagement. 

                                    And we need to begin using the economic and
                                    diplomatic tools at our disposal to effect real change
                                    in China: tough sanctions on Chinese military-owned
                                    companies..tough sanctions on Chinese
                                    companies using slave labor.tough sanctions on
                                    Chinese companies trafficking in weapons of mass
                                    destruction.and continuous, high-profile
                                    condemnations of Chinese human rights abuses in
                                    every international forum possible. 

                                    President Clinton won't do it. Vice President Gore
                                    won't do it. But I will. 

                                    As President of the United States, I will put China's
                                    leaders on notice: We want a peaceful and
                                    constructive relationship with you. But you must
                                    understand the rules of engagement. And if you
                                    violate them - if you continue to head down the path
                                    towards confrontation - then I will not hesitate for one
                                    moment to revoke Most Favored Nation trade status.

                                    I will never sacrifice American security or values on
                                    the altar of trade. 

                                    The choice is up to you. The benefits of cooperation
                                    and friendship are enormous. But the days of
                                    appeasement are over. Period. 

                                    It is time we put dictators and despots on notice: We
                                    will not be intimidated and we will not be threatened.
                                    We will protect our childrendefend our
                                    friends.advance our principlesand transcend our
                                    enemies. 

                                    My new China policy will be based upon three
                                    strategic objectives: 

                                        First, we will protect American sovereignty and
                                        security. 
                                        Second, we will promote individual liberty and
                                        human rights. 
                                        Third, we will open new markets and expand
                                        existing markets, but never at the expense of
                                        our security and principles. 

                                    What does this mean specifically? Let me explain. 

                                    U.S. Security And Sovereignty

                                    In a Forbes Administration American sovereignty
                                    and national security will come first. That means
                                    defending our vital national security interests, which
                                    include the following: 

                                        Protecting the American homeland, borders,
                                        shores and airspace 
                                        Protecting Americans against threats to their
                                        lives and well-being 
                                        Preventing a major power from dominating
                                        Europe, East Asia or the Persian Gulf 
                                        Preventing hostile interference in the Western
                                        Hemisphere by outside powers 
                                        Maintaining the freedom of the seas 
                                        and maintaining access to vital natural
                                        resources 

                                    America must be absolutely committed to remain the
                                    premier military power in the Pacific. 

                                    The Forbes Administration will rebuild - not run down
                                    - our national defenses. 

                                    We will strengthen our alliances with key countries in
                                    the region to counterbalance the Chinese threat. 

                                    We will make it clear that we will defend Taiwan from
                                    a Chinese attack. As President, I will sign the
                                    bipartisan "Taiwan Security Enhancement Act"
                                    offered by Senator Jesse Helms and Senator
                                    Robert Torricelli. This will lift restrictions on the sale
                                    of defensive weapons to Taiwan, including missile
                                    defense systems. 

                                    We will also deploy state-of-the-art missile defense
                                    systems - such as the sea-based Aegis system - to
                                    protect our allies and ourselves. 

                                    Indeed, we must dramatically step up our research
                                    and development to reopen the technology gap and
                                    pull away from our adversaries. 

                                    When a Chinese general made a not-so-veiled threat
                                    to "nuke" Los Angeles over the Taiwan crisis several
                                    years ago, he made one thing abundantly clear: We
                                    must not allow China's growing nuclear arsenal to
                                    continue to threaten American cities and decouple
                                    the United States from our allies. 

                                    After all, if America were to leave the Western
                                    Pacific, Japan, South Korea, and perhaps other
                                    powers would have no choice but to rearm, and
                                    develop and deploy nuclear weapons of their own.
                                    China must understand the security umbrella
                                    America provides in the Pacific promotes stability
                                    and serves the long-term interests of all powers. 

                                    At the same time, we must be on the lookout for a
                                    continuing Chinese effort to compromise our
                                    security elsewhere in the world. 

                                    The Panama Canal is a good place to start. Having
                                    Chinese companies managing both ends of this
                                    strategic chokepoint between the Atlantic and the
                                    Pacific is simply unacceptable to American security.
                                    In the spirit of the Monroe Doctrine, the Forbes
                                    Administration will prevent the hostile interference in
                                    the Western Hemisphere by outside powers such as
                                    Communist China. 

                                    So this is the first strategic objective of the Forbes
                                    policy towards China - protecting American
                                    sovereignty and national security. 

                                    Individual Liberty And Human Rights 

                                    The second strategic objective of my China policy
                                    will be to vigorously and consistently champion
                                    individual liberty and human rights. 

                                    Like all people of goodwill, I hope for a future China
                                    that is free and democratic, and I will do everything in
                                    my power to see that this vision comes to pass. That
                                    certainly means making sure China understands the
                                    rules of engagement. But it also means confronting
                                    Chinese human rights abuses. 

                                    Freedom House, that respected champion of
                                    international human rights, reports that in China:
                                    "Underground Christians report brutal beatings that
                                    have resulted in paralysis, coma, and even death in
                                    some cases. Other methods of torture reported
                                    include binding detainees in excruciating positions,
                                    hanging detainees from their limbs, tormenting them
                                    with electric cattle prods, electric drills and other
                                    implements, and crushing the feet and ankles of
                                    Christians while they are forced to kneel." 

                                    Similar abuses include the ongoing suppression of
                                    Buddhists in Tibet; the suppression of political
                                    dissidents; the execution of some prisoners to
                                    obtain their organs for sale, while exploiting others
                                    through slave labor to make products for export;
                                    carrying out forced abortions; and maintaining
                                    death-factory orphanages. 

                                    This is completely unacceptable. 

                                    As our Founders made so clear in the Declaration of
                                    Independence, the right to life is not a state
                                    endowed right. It is the gift of God and it must be
                                    protected. 

                                    Fortunately, Congress has begun to move in the
                                    right direction. For example, China's slave labor
                                    camps operate 140 export enterprises, selling
                                    products to over 70 countries, including the U.S. But
                                    in 1997, Congressman Chris Smith, from my home
                                    state of New Jersey, introduced a bill to keep
                                    China's slave labor products out of our country. I
                                    supported this bill at the time, and as President, I will
                                    vigorously enforce it and fight slave labor practices
                                    in China and throughout the world. 

                                    At the same time, the Forbes Administration will take
                                    the lead in forcefully denouncing Chinese human
                                    rights abuses. 

                                    And we will stand up for the inalienable rights of all
                                    people to free speech, free assembly and freedom
                                    of religion. 

                                    The more we expose their abuses, the more Beijing
                                    will protest with angry words and threats. But we
                                    know one thing from our experience with the Soviets:
                                    Pressure will yield results. The process of freedom,
                                    once begun, sustains itself internally and spreads. 

                                    At the same time, we will seek ways to engage the
                                    Chinese people, to meet their yearning for truth,
                                    faith, and higher ideals. For a half-century, Chinese
                                    leaders have preached a lifeless, soulless marriage
                                    of materialism and state control. It has created a
                                    spiritual vacuum, longing to be filled. 

                                    If you talk to religious and human rights leadersas I
                                    havethey will plead with you not to isolate China.
                                    They are quietly, effectively, reaching millions of
                                    spiritually hungry Chinese, one person at a time. 

                                    Many Americans don't know this, but there is a great
                                    spiritual awakening going on behind the Great Wall
                                    today. The number of Christians in China has gone
                                    from virtually zero in 1949 to upwards of 60 to 80
                                    million people. 

                                    Now is not the time to turn our backs on the good
                                    people of China, one out of five people living on the
                                    planet today. 

                                    Nor is this the time to maintain business as usual. 

                                    Now is the time to intensify our efforts to
                                    communicate the good news of freedom and faith in
                                    God to a people living in great darkness. 

                                    From my years as chairman of Radio Free Europe
                                    and Radio Liberty, I know that the free flow of truth is
                                    deadly to dictatorial regimes. 

                                    So central to my strategy will be dramatically
                                    expanding Radio Free Asia, which should have more
                                    frequencies, more programming and more power to
                                    send its signals so that hundreds of millions of
                                    people can hear its broadcasts. 

                                    And in this new Information Age, we will also launch
                                    Internet Free China. We will create news and
                                    informational web sites in Mandarin, Cantonese and
                                    other dialects. We will use cutting edge technology
                                    to reach out to the Chinese people, because the
                                    Internet is the new frontier of freedom and
                                    democracy in the digital age. 

                                    My friends, freedom works. And we must never give
                                    up our efforts to communicate the truth, particularly in
                                    China. 

                                    Open Markets 

                                    Along with protecting American sovereignty and
                                    security, and advancing individual liberty and human
                                    rights, the Forbes Administration will pursue a third
                                    objective: opening new markets and expanding
                                    existing markets throughout Asia. 

                                    Again, I want China to choose a path of peace and
                                    cooperation. I want them to open their markets and
                                    sign honest, enforceable, free trade agreements
                                    with us. This would be a huge boon for American
                                    workers, companies and farmers. 

                                    And it is true the our ultimate hope for a fruitful,
                                    peaceful relationship with the Middle Kingdom lies in
                                    the rise of pro-freedom, pro-free enterprise forces
                                    within it. As we have seen in Chile, South Korea and
                                    Taiwan, economic liberalization can bring in its wake
                                    demands for political reform. 

                                    But U.S. security and our vital national interests must
                                    always come first. 

                                    For example, China's People's Liberation Army
                                    controls some 15,000 companies with an estimated
                                    $10 billion in worldwide sales. Many of these
                                    companies operate here in the United States. 

                                    But if Beijing continues selling dangerous military
                                    equipment to rogue states such as North Korea and
                                    Iran, I will apply tough sanctions on one PLA
                                    company after another. 

                                    If the offenses don't stop, I will up the ante. 

                                    The Clinton-Gore Administration has turned a blind
                                    eye to such dangerous arms sales; I will not. Too
                                    much is at stake. 

                                    At the same time, the Forbes Administration will also
                                    put an immediate halt to sales of sophisticated
                                    technology to China that can clearly be used for
                                    military purposes. 

                                    Now let me say a word here about the World Trade
                                    Organization. 

                                    The Clinton-Gore Administration wants to give China
                                    a sweetheart deal, allowing Beijing into the WTO on
                                    concessionary terms, as though they were some
                                    third-world nation rather than a major economic
                                    player. This is a serious mistake. 

                                    America is the world's only economic superpower,
                                    and it's ridiculous to take such a weak position with
                                    an emerging power. 

                                    That said, I believe Taiwan should be permitted
                                    entrance into the community of world commerce. 

                                    They have made extraordinary progress in moving
                                    towards free markets and free elections and they
                                    should be rewarded for it. 

                                    Let me be clear: Yes to Taiwan in the WTO. No to
                                    China. Beijing hasn't earned it, and we shouldn't give
                                    it. Period. 

                                    It is time for our government to reward freedom and
                                    democracy - not force and demagoguery - and let us
                                    never forget it. 

                                    Benchmarks For Progress 

                                    As President I will make clear to China the rules of
                                    engagement. 

                                    I will also set clear benchmarks to gauge China's
                                    seriousness about a positive relationship with the
                                    United States. 

                                    For example: 

                                     1.The People's Republic of China must resume
                                        diplomatic discussions with Taiwan and
                                        moderate its threatening language. Taiwan is a
                                        new democracy that has emerged from
                                        authoritarian rule. If we are true to ourselves, we
                                        must acknowledge that Taiwan deserves the
                                        respect and support of the West in the face of
                                        Beijing's coarse, warlike threats, and bellicose
                                        deeds - and we must pressure Beijing to cease
                                        and desist immediately. 
                                     2.China must stop selling weapons of mass
                                        destruction to rogue nations. The proliferation of
                                        weapons of mass destruction - and the means
                                        to deliver them - is one of the greatest threats to
                                        peace and security in our time. We must do
                                        everything in our power to halt this deadly trade. 
                                     3.China must drop its opposition to countries
                                        deploying ballistic missile defense systems
                                        since they pose no threat to China. Beijing's
                                        hyperbole over American, Japanese and
                                        Taiwanese missile defenses - and the ABM
                                        Treaty - is not helpful. China has nothing to fear
                                        - and everything to gain - from purely defensive
                                        technologies. 
                                     4.China must stop religious persecution and
                                        immediately begin releasing political and
                                        religious prisoners, such as those identified by
                                        Freedom House. The thirst for individual liberty,
                                        human dignity and spiritual growth is
                                        unquenchable, and the United States will never
                                        abandon those for whom it is being denied.
                                        Indeed, it will be the explicit policy of the
                                        Forbes Administration to champion a free and
                                        democratic China in every manner possible. 

                                    The Road Ahead 

                                    I know my policy will sound confrontational to official
                                    Chinese ears. In truth it is less confrontational and
                                    less dangerous than hiding our convictions and
                                    commitments behind a fog of appeasing rhetoric. 

                                    I realize, too, that in saying this aloud, I am offending
                                    the Chinese stricture againstin their
                                    wordsinterference in their internal affairs. I realize
                                    that the intelligence officer in China's embassy who
                                    translates this speech may believe that I am
                                    espousing cultural imperialism. I am not. I am
                                    advocating the peaceful application of the same
                                    universal principles that Ronald Reagan applied to
                                    the peoples of the former Soviet Union. 

                                    At the beginning of his presidency, Reagan told the
                                    British Parliament and the world that Soviet
                                    communism would be consigned to the ash heap of
                                    history. No one believed him. In 1982, such a
                                    prediction sounded preposterous to the ears of
                                    most Western intellectuals and bellicose to the
                                    Soviets. But Reagan knew that such a thing could
                                    come to passand quicker than most of us
                                    thoughtbecause a process of change was at work
                                    within the Soviet Union. 

                                    Reagan wasn't being hostile. Far from it. His
                                    compassion and respect for the people of Russia
                                    was so great that he believed the day would soon
                                    come when they would throw off their shackles and
                                    be free. 

                                    Today, I hold the same hope for the people of
                                    China. I believe that in my children's lifetime, they will
                                    see a free, democratic, peaceful and prosperous
                                    China. Not because it is destined to happen, but
                                    because we helped make it happen. 

                                    The time has come to make common cause with the
                                    aspirations of the people of China. The time has
                                    come to convince the young people of China, the
                                    next generation of Chinese leaders, that they have
                                    nothing to fear from us or from freedom. 

                                    This is why I propose a new China policy - an
                                    honest, principled policy of openness and
                                    firmness.a policy that is tough yet hopeful. one
                                    that rewards positive developments with greater
                                    access to the fruits of the world economy, while
                                    confronting intransigence and threats with strength. 

                                    In thinking about this speech, about China and its
                                    future, I turned back to Martin Gilbert's masterful
                                    biography of Winston Churchill, a leader who never
                                    failed to apply imagination and futuristic thinking to
                                    the present. 

                                    In it, Gilbert recounts that Churchill, then in his
                                    second term as prime minister in 1953, was heading
                                    for New York on the Queen Mary, when he told an
                                    astonished personal secretary that the younger man
                                    "should assuredly live to see Eastern Europe free of
                                    Communism." 

                                    Churchill was off, but not by much. His personal
                                    secretary died in 1987, two years before the Berlin
                                    Wall came crashing down. 

                                    As we look ahead today, is it reasonable to make
                                    such a prediction about China? 

                                    For this, I turn not to Churchill, Reagan, or Nixon, but
                                    to a son of China. 

                                    Wei Jingsheng, now exiled in the West, was one of
                                    China's most prominent dissidents. He was a man
                                    who suffered one cruel blow after another at the
                                    hands of the Chinese police state. 

                                    Nevertheless, when he looked to the future of China,
                                    he looked forward with hope: "The Communist
                                    Party's control of China is like a wooden house in
                                    which all the beams are rotten. We do not know
                                    when the house will fall, whether it will be in ten
                                    minutes with the next gust of wind, or ten hours, or
                                    ten days; but we can be certain that the house will
                                    fall. I don't think we shall have to wait as long as ten
                                    years." 

                                    My friends, China has nothing to fear from accepting
                                    freedom, and everything to gain. America has
                                    nothing to fear from advancing freedom, and
                                    everything to gain. 

                                    So let us live up to the high calling of being
                                    Americans. 

                                    Let us live our lives in such a manner that others will
                                    be drawn to follow our lead. 

                                    Let us leave a legacy of free people dreaming big
                                    dreams, that our children and grandchildren might
                                    look back at us and say, "They did justice, loved
                                    mercy and walked humbly with their God." 

                                    After all, evil is powerless if the good are unafraid. 

                                    Thank you all very much.


