The former US president Bill Clinton's speech in Hong Kong (1998)

Bill Clinton:

Thank you very much, thank you.Thank you very much to Executive Tung,Mrs.Tung, members of your goverment and citizens of Hong Kong. Hillary and I and our delegation including several members of the United States Congress, and members of our cabinet and other Americans are all delighted to be here tonight.

Hong Kong is a world symbol of trade,enterprise,freedom and global interdependence. Visitors come here for fashion and food.The world consumes your electronics products and your movies. And every American, who has ever wanted to travel anywhere ,has wanted to come to Hong Kong.This is, it is true,the first visit to Hong Kong of a President and a fortuitous one for me that I can come and wish all of you a happy anniversary.But it is not my first trip to Hong Kong.My wife and I have both been here in our previous lives,or as we say when we are back home, back when we had a life.

I want you to know that the United States considers Hong Kong vital to the future not only of China and Asia, but of the United States and the world as well. Our ties must grow stronger and they will. And this present financial crisis too, will pass, if we work together with discipline and vision to lift the fortunes of our neighbors. Believe me there is no one in America who is not eagerly awaiting the resumption of real growth and stability in the Asian economy and we are prepared to do whatever we can to support it.

We also appreciate what China and Hong Kong have done and the price that has been paid to stablize the situation.

So let us look forward to the future,with all its vitality and all its unpredictable events. Some will be difficult but most will be very good if,as I said to President Jiang,we stay on the right side of history.

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