1、The White HouseOffice of the Press SecretaryFor Immediate Release November 14, 2009 Remarks by President Barack Obama at Suntory HallSuntory Hall, Tokyo, JapanPresidents Speech translated into ChinesePresidents Speech translated into IndonesianPresidents Speech translated into JapanesePresidents Spe
2、ech translated into Korean10:12 A.M. JSTPRESIDENT OBAMA: Thank you so much. Arigatou. Thank you very much. (Applause.) Good morning. It is a great honor to be in Tokyo - the first stop on my first visit to Asia as President of the United States. (Applause.) Thank you. It is good to be among so many
3、of you - Japanese and I see a few Americans here - (applause) - who work every day to strengthen the bonds between our two countries, including my longtime friend and our new ambassador to Japan, John Roos. (Applause.)It is wonderful to be back in Japan. Some of you may be aware that when I was a yo
4、ung boy, my mother brought me to Kamakura, where I looked up at that centuries-old symbol of peace and tranquility - the great bronze Amida Buddha. And as a child, I was more focused on the matcha ice cream. (Laughter.) And I want to thank Prime Minister Hatoyama for sharing some of those memories w
5、ith more ice cream last night at dinner. (Laughter and applause.) Thank you very much. But I have never forgotten the warmth and the hospitality that the Japanese people showed a young American far from home.And I feel that same spirit on this visit: In the gracious welcome of Prime Minister Hatoyam
6、a. In the extraordinary honor of the meeting with Their Imperial Majesties, the Emperor and Empress, on the 20th anniversary of his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne. In the hospitality shown by the Japanese people. And of course, I could not come here without sending my greetings and gratitude
7、to the citizens of Obama, Japan. (Applause.)Now, I am beginning my journey here for a simple reason. Since taking office, I have worked to renew American leadership and pursue a new era of engagement with the world based on mutual interests and mutual respect. And our efforts in the Asia Pacific wil
8、l be rooted, in no small measure, through an enduring and revitalized alliance between the United States and Japan.From my very first days in office, we have worked to strengthen the ties that bind our nations. The first foreign leader that I welcomed to the White House was the Prime Minister of Jap
9、an, and for the first time in nearly 50 years, the first foreign trip by an American Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, was to Asia, starting in Japan. (Applause.)In two months, our alliance will mark its 50th anniversary - a day when President Dwight Eisenhower stood next to Japans Prime Minister
10、 and said that our two nations were creating “an indestructible partnership“ based on “equality and mutual understanding.“ In the half-century since, that alliance has endured as a foundation for our security and prosperity. It has helped us become the worlds two largest economies, with Japan emergi
11、ng as Americas second-largest trading partner outside of North America. It has evolved as Japan has played a larger role on the world stage, and made important contributions to stability around the world - from reconstruction in Iraq, to combating piracy off the Horn of Africa, to assistance for the
12、 people of Afghanistan and Pakistan - most recently through its remarkable leadership in providing additional commitments to international development efforts there.Above all, our alliance has endured because it reflects our common values - a belief in the democratic right of free people to choose t
13、heir own leaders and realize their own dreams; a belief that made possible the election of both Prime Minister Hatoyama and myself on the promise of change. And together, we are committed to providing a new generation of leadership for our people and our alliance.That is why, at this critical moment
14、 in history, the two of us have not only reaffirmed our alliance - weve agreed to deepen it. Weve agreed to move expeditiously through a joint working group to implement the agreement that our two governments reached on restructuring U.S. forces in Okinawa. And as our alliance evolves and adapts for
15、 the future, we will always strive to uphold the spirit that President Eisenhower described long ago - a partnership of equality and mutual respect. (Applause.)But while our commitment to this region begins in Japan, it doesnt end here. The United States of America may have started as a series of po
16、rts and cities along the Atlantic Ocean, but for generations we have also been a nation of the Pacific. Asia and the United States are not separated by this great ocean; we are bound by it. We are bound by our past - by the Asian immigrants who helped build America, and the generations of Americans
17、in uniform who served and sacrificed to keep this region secure and free. We are bound by our shared prosperity - by the trade and commerce upon which millions of jobs and families depend. And we are bound by our people - by the Asian Americans who enrich every segment of American life, and all the
18、people whose lives, like our countries, are interwoven. My own life is a part of that story. I am an American President who was born in Hawaii and lived in Indonesia as a boy. My sister Maya was born in Jakarta, and later married a Chinese-Canadian. My mother spent nearly a decade working in the vil
19、lages of Southeast Asia, helping women buy a sewing machine or an education that might give them a foothold in the world economy. So the Pacific Rim has helped shape my view of the world.And since that time, perhaps no region has changed as swiftly or dramatically. Controlled economies have given wa
20、y to open markets. Dictatorships have become democracies. Living standards have risen while poverty has plummeted. And through all these changes, the fortunes of America and the Asia Pacific have become more closely linked than ever before.So I want everyone to know, and I want everybody in America
21、to know, that we have a stake in the future of this region, because what happens here has a direct effect on our lives at home. This is where we engage in much of our commerce and buy many of our goods. And this is where we can export more of our own products and create jobs back home in the process
22、. This is a place where the risk of a nuclear arms race threatens the security of the wider world, and where extremists who defile a great religion plan attacks on both our continents. And there can be no solution to our energy security and our climate challenge without the rising powers and develop
23、ing nations of the Asia Pacific.To meet these common challenges, the United States looks to strengthen old alliances and build new partnerships with the nations of this region. To do this, we look to Americas treaty alliances with Japan, South Korea, Australia, Thailand and the Philippines - allianc
24、es that are not historical documents from a bygone era, but abiding commitments to each other that are fundamental to our shared security.These alliances continue to provide the bedrock of security and stability that has allowed the nations and peoples of this region to pursue opportunity and prospe
25、rity that was unimaginable at the time of my first childhood visit to Japan. And even as American troops are engaged in two wars around the world, our commitment to Japans security and to Asias security is unshakeable - (applause) - and it can be seen in our deployments throughout the region - above
26、 all, through our young men and women in uniform, of whom I am so proud.Now, we look to emerging nations that are poised as well to play a larger role - both in the Asia Pacific region and the wider world; places like Indonesia and Malaysia that have adopted democracy, developed their economies, and
27、 tapped the great potential of their own people.We look to rising powers with the view that in the 21st century, the national security and economic growth of one country need not come at the expense of another. I know there are many who question how the United States perceives Chinas emergence. But
28、as I have said, in an interconnected world, power does not need to be a zero-sum game, and nations need not fear the success of another. Cultivating spheres of cooperation - not competing spheres of influence - will lead to progress in the Asia Pacific. (Applause.)Now, as with any nation, America wi
29、ll approach China with a focus on our interests. And its precisely for this reason that it is important to pursue pragmatic cooperation with China on issues of mutual concern, because no one nation can meet the challenges of the 21st century alone, and the United States and China will both be better
30、 off when we are able to meet them together. Thats why we welcome Chinas effort to play a greater role on the world stage - a role in which their growing economy is joined by growing responsibility. Chinas partnership has proved critical in our effort to jumpstart economic recovery. China has promot
31、ed security and stability in Afghanistan and Pakistan. And it is now committed to the global nonproliferation regime, and supporting the pursuit of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.So the United States does not seek to contain China, nor does a deeper relationship with China mean a weakening
32、 of our bilateral alliances. On the contrary, the rise of a strong, prosperous China can be a source of strength for the community of nations. And so in Beijing and beyond, we will work to deepen our strategic and economic dialogue, and improve communication between our militaries. Of course, we wil
33、l not agree on every issue, and the United States will never waver in speaking up for the fundamental values that we hold dear - and that includes respect for the religion and cultures of all people - because support for human rights and human dignity is ingrained in America. But we can move these d
34、iscussions forward in a spirit of partnership rather than rancor. In addition to our bilateral relations, we also believe that the growth of multilateral organizations can advance the security and prosperity of this region. I know that the United States has been disengaged from many of these organiz
35、ations in recent years. So let me be clear: Those days have passed. As a Asia Pacific nation, the United States expects to be involved in the discussions that shape the future of this region, and to participate fully in appropriate organizations as they are established and evolve. (Applause.)That is
36、 the work that I will begin on this trip. The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum will continue to promote regional commerce and prosperity, and I look forward to participating in that forum this evening. ASEAN will remain a catalyst for Southeast Asian dialogue, cooperation and security, and I
37、look forward to becoming the first American President to meet with all 10 ASEAN leaders. (Applause.) And the United States looks forward to engaging with the East Asia Summit more formally as it plays a role in addressing the challenges of our time.We seek this deeper and broader engagement because
38、we know our collective future depends on it. And Id like to speak for a bit about what that future might look like, and what we must do to advance our prosperity, our security, and our universal values and aspirations.First, we must strengthen our economic recovery, and pursue growth that is both ba
39、lanced and sustained.The quick, unprecedented and coordinated action taken by Asia Pacific nations and others has averted economic catastrophe, and helped us to begin to emerge from the worst recession in generations. And we have taken the historic step of reforming our international economic archit
40、ecture, so that the G20 is now the premier forum for international economic cooperation.Now, this shift to the G20, along with the greater voice that is being given to Asian nations in international financial institutions, clearly demonstrates the broader, more inclusive engagement that America seek
41、s in the 21st century. And as a key member of the G8, Japan has and will continue to play a leading and vital role in shaping the future of the international financial architecture. (Applause.)Now that we are on the brink of economic recovery, we must also ensure that it can be sustained. We simply
42、cannot return to the same cycles of boom and bust that led to a global recession. We cant follow the same policies that led to such imbalanced growth. One of the important lessons this recession has taught us is the limits of depending primarily on American consumers and Asian exports to drive growt
43、h - because when Americans found themselves too heavily in debt or lost their jobs and were out of work, demand for Asian goods plummeted. When demand fell sharply, exports from this region fell sharply. Since the economies of this region are so dependent on exports, they stopped growing. And the gl
44、obal recession only deepened. So we have now reached one of those rare inflection points in history where we have the opportunity to take a different path. And that must begin with the G20 pledge that we made in Pittsburgh to pursue a new strategy for balanced economic growth.Ill be saying more abou
45、t this in Singapore, but in the United States, this new strategy will mean that we save more and spend less, reform our financial systems, reduce our long-term deficit and borrowing. It will also mean a greater emphasis on exports that we can build, produce, and sell all over the world. For America,
46、 this is a jobs strategy. Right now, our exports support millions upon millions of well-paying American jobs. Increasing those exports by just a small amount has the potential to create millions more. These are jobs making everything from wind turbines and solar panels to the technology that you use
47、 every day.For Asia, striking this better balance will provide an opportunity for workers and consumers to enjoy higher standards of living that their remarkable increases in productivity have made possible. It will allow for greater investments in housing and infrastructure and the service sector.
48、And a more balanced global economy will lead to prosperity that reaches further and deeper.For decades, the United States has had one of the most open markets in the world, and that openness has helped to fuel the success of so many countries in this region and others over the last century. In this
49、new era, opening other markets around the globe will be critical not just to Americas prosperity, but to the worlds, as well.An integral part of this new strategy is working towards an ambitious and balanced Doha agreement - not any agreement, but an agreement that will open up markets and increase exports around the world. We are ready to work with our Asian partners to see if we can achieve that objective in a timely fashion - and we invite our regional trading partners to join us at the table. We also believe that continued integration of th
