Fourth，the tradition of constantly striving for self—perfection.Ancient Chinese philosophers proposed the following doctrine："As Heaven maintains vigor through movement，a gentleman should constantly strive for self—perfection."This idea has become an important moral strength，spurring the Chinese people to work hard for reform and renovation.The fruits of ancient Chinese civilization were brought about by the tireless efforts and hard work of the Chinese nation.In the past hundred years or so，the Chinese people have waged arduous struggles to get rid of the sufferings under semi—colonial and semi—feudal rule.Dr.Sun Yat—sen，China's forerunner of the democratic revolution，was the first to put forward the slogan of "rejuvenation of China."He led the Revolution of 1911to move the millennia—old autocratic monarchy in China.Under the guidance of Mao Zedong Thought，the Chinese Communist Party led the Chinese people in achieving national independence and people's liberation and in building China into a socialist country with initial prosperity.Today，guided by Deng Xiaoping Theory，the Chinese people are firmly pressing ahead with reform and opening—up and have made remarkable achievements in the modernization drive.China has entered a period with the fastest and healthiest development in this century.
The reform and opening—up endeavor is an embodiment and a creative development of the Chinese spirit of constantly striving for self—perfection and renovation in modern times.We refer to our reform and opening—up as socialist reform and opening—up，because they constitute the process of self—improvement and development of the socialist system in China.The practice in recently twenty years has eloquently proved that we are right in direction，firm in conviction，steady in our steps，and gradual in our approach when carrying out the reform and opening—up，and we have achieved tremendous successes.We have successfully overcome various difficulties and risks in the course of our advance without causing great social unrest.Rather，we have succeeded in greatly releasing and developing productive forces，and maintained social stability and an all—round progress.
We are conducting a comprehensive reform with full confidence.Economically，we will speed up the establishment of a socialist market economy and realize industrialization，and the socialization，marketization，and modernization of the economy.Politically，we will endeavor to develop socialist democracy，govern the country according to law，build a socialist country under the rule of law，and ensure the full exercise of people's rights to govern the country and manage social affairs.Culturally，we will work hard to develop a scientific socialist culture for the people，a culture that is geared to the needs of modernization，of the nation，of the world，and of the future，adopt a strategy of rejuvenating China through science and education，and strive to raise the political and moral standards，as well as the scientific and cultural level，of the entire nation.In a word，it is to build our country into a prosperous，strong，democratic，and culturally advanced modern country.
China，a country with vast territory，a big population，and a long history，should make greater contribution to humanity.The Chinese people waged a dauntless struggle for one hundred years.They have effected great reforms and changes，one after another，to build China into a strong and prosperous country.They have worked to strengthen ethnic harmony and achieve national reunification and to promote the lofty cause of world peace and development.In the final analysis，they have done all these for one objective，that is，the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and China's greater contribution to humanity.
In short，the choice of the social system and development path that China has made，the domestic and foreign policies that it has pursued，and the goals it has identified for the next century，are all based on both the reality and the history.Therefore，they are not only in conformity with the trend of the historical development of mankind and that of the times，but also reflect the characteristics of the Chinese nation.They serve not only the fundamental interests of the Chinese people，but also world peace，stability，prosperity，and progress.This is the key to an understanding of the present—day China and its future.
（President Jiang begins speaking in English）Ladies and gentlemen，the friendly exchange between the Chinese and American peoples dates back to more than two hundred years ago.Back in 1784，American merchant ship the "Empress of China"came a long way to China.In 1847，Chinese student Rong Hong with others]came to the United States as the first group of Chinese students to study here.Many Chinese contributed to the nation—building of the United States，while a lot of American friends helped and supported the national liberation cause of the Chinese people.We will never forget their contribution，which has touched us deeply.
The Chinese people have always admired the American people for their pragmatic attitude and creative spirit.My visit to IBM，AT&T，and the Bell laboratory yesterday gave me some first—hand knowledge of the latest successes in modern science and technology.Today's rapid development in science and technology is bringing about increasingly greater impact on global political and economic patterns and on people's social life.If we persist in our reform，we will be able to turn our ideals into reality.In our cause to further open up and achieve modernization，we have spared no efforts in learning from all the fine cultural achievements of the American people.
