Thank you all very much. Please be seated. And it’s an honor to welcome
all of you to the State Department this afternoon. It’s always good to
have Vice President Biden here, and we are particularly pleased to have
our very special guest of honor. I’d also like to recognize Ming Tsai,
the talented chef who has prepared this delicious lunch for us, fusing
the flavors of Chinese and American cuisine. (Applause.)
This year marks the 40
th anniversary of President Nixon’s
historic trip to China. And we are very pleased that Dr. Kissinger is
here with us, who, along with Zhou Enlai, was instrumental in
transforming the relationship between our two countries. Today,
cooperation between the United States and China is imperative to address
the many vexing challenges we face, from countering proliferation, to
addressing climate change, to promoting global economic security. Now,
developing the habits of cooperation is not easy. We have a lot of work
to do. But we are both committed to building a lasting framework of
trust that will support a cooperative partnership for the next 40 years
and beyond.
Vice President Xi first came to the United States on an exchange
program over 25 years ago to Iowa. He will travel there tomorrow to see
some old friends. That visit illustrates how important the bonds between
our people are. That’s why we support programs like 100,000 Strong to
send more American students to study in China, and many more
people-to-people exchanges.
So it is a great pleasure to welcome Vice President Xi and to
celebrate the bonds of friendship between our nations’ governments and
peoples. And it is now my great honor to introduce Vice President Biden.
(Applause.)
(Vice President Biden makes remarks.)
