Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I wish to thank Dr. Neil L. Rudenstine, President of Harvard University, for inviting me to this ancient yet modernized institution of the United States in this golden fall.

Since its founding some 360 years ago, Harvard has nurtured a great number of outstanding statesmen, scientists, writers and businessmen, including six of the American Presidents and over thirty Nobel Prize winners. The fact that Harvard was founded before the United States of America testifies to its position in the American history.

Harvard is among the first American universities to accept Chinese students. The Chinese educational, scientific and cultural communities have all along maintained academic exchanges with this university. Harvard has thus made useful contribution to the enhanced mutual understanding between the Chinese and American peoples.

Mutual understanding is the basis for state-to-state relations. Without it, it would be impossible for countries to build trust and promote cooperation with each other. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the United States, the exchanges and mutual understanding between our two peoples have broadened and deepened steadily. However, this is not enough. To promote the development of China-U.S. relations, China needs to know the United States better and vice versa.

To know China better, one may approach it from different angles. China today has been evolved from its past. China is a country with 5,000 years of civilization. Therefore, it is important to approach China from a historical and cultural perspective.

I recall my first lesson on calculus in senior high school. My teacher quoted a line from Zhuang Zi, a Chinese philosopher over 2,000 years ago, which reads “Cut away half of a rod and keep on halving what is left, and there will be no end to that process.” This gave me a vivid concept of limit. It shows that the ancient Chinese realized the endless process of changes of matters and had a fairly good understanding of the nature. As early as in 2,500 B.C., Chinese began astronomical observation and geographical survey, and gradually formed a world outlook of an “integration of the universe and humanity.” China produced in its history many outstanding philosophers, thinkers, statesmen, strategists, scientists, writers and artists and left us numerous volumes of literature. The scene of “contention of a hundred schools of thought” brought forth in the Spring and Autumn Period 2,500 years ago and the Warring States Period over 2,200 years ago and the emergence of various schools of thought and their exponents such as Lao Zi and Confucius about 2,400 years ago all occupy a very important position in the world history of philosophy. Ancient China made unique contributions to many areas of science including astronomy, calendric system, geography, mathematics, agriculture, medicine and the humanities. Records of solar and lunar eclipses are found in the inscriptions on bones or tortoise shells of the Shang Dynasty over 3,000 years ago. In the 2,100 years from the Qin Dynasty to the late Qing Dynasty (221 BC-1911), the 27 appearances of Halley Comet were all recorded in China. Zhang Heng of the Han Dynasty over 1,800 years ago invented a seismograph to determine the location of earthquakes and the celestial globe that showed the movement of the sun, moon and other stars.

Mathematicians in the pre-Qin days over 2,200 years ago put forward the proposition known as the Pythagorean theorem in the West today. In the Northern and Southern Dynasties in the 4th century A.D., China’s mathematician Zu Chongzhi calculated the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter to be 3.1415926. China’s silk weaving, porcelain making, metallurgy and shipbuilding reached the world’s advanced level in ancient times. In the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Zaiyu initiated the twelve-tone temperament which later became the universal standard tones. The Chinese medicine is a unique school of its own. Particularly, China’s four great inventions of paper making, gunpowder, printing and compass had once changed the face of the world. China had been a world leader in science and technology for one thousand years until the 15th century. These inventions and creations of China have brought forward the rationalistic brilliance of coordination between humanity and the nature and the integration of scientific spirit with moral ideals.

China’s culture in history has never stopped developing. It has enriched itself through the contention and infiltration of various disciplines and schools of thought, and also through the mutual exchanges and learning between China and other countries in the world. Since old times, the Chinese people came to know full well the importance of “drawing widely upon others’ strong points to improve oneself.” The Han and Tang Dynasty were both an age of economic prosperity and also one of flourishing international exchanges. Imperial envoy Zhang Qian’s trip to the “West” in the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) over 2,000 years ago opened up the world-famous Silk Road; Eminent Monk Xuan Zang of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) brought back ancient culture after braving long journey to South Asian countries. In the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Chinese navigator Cheng Ho led a fleet to what that then people called the “West Sea” seven times in the 15th century, spreading the Chinese culture to distant land. Only later on, especially in late Qing Dynasty, the feudal rulers adopted a policy of seclusion, which hampered China’s progress and its exchanges with the outside world. After the Opium War (1840-1842), generation after generation of enlightened Chinese people have, for national rejuvenation, spared no efforts in learning from Western countries advanced science and cultural achievements in combination with China’s realities and pushing for China’s social reforms and development. Today, the Chinese people who are struggling to achieve modernization have made the opening-up a basic state policy and conducted extensive exchanges and cooperation with the rest of the world, thus creating a brand-new situation in its opening-up endeavor in the Chinese history.

Sunlight is composed of seven colors, so is our world full of colors and splendor. Every country and every nation has its own historical and cultural traditions, strong points and advantages. We should respect and learn from each other and draw upon other’s strong points to offset one’s own deficiencies for achieving common progress.

In the prolonged course of development, China has formed its fine historical and cultural traditions, which have been either developed or discarded with the changes of the times and social progress. These traditions have exerted a profound impact on the values and way of life of the Chinese people, and on China’s road of development today. Here, I would like to make the following observations which I hope will help you to know China better.

First, the tradition of solidarity and unity. The Chinese nation is a big family composed of 56 nationalities. Since the time immemorial, people of all nationalities have established closely-knitted political, economic and cultural links and joined hands in developing the vast land of our country. China became a vast unified country more than 2,000 years ago. The deep-rooted Chinese culture become a strong bond for ethnic harmony and national unity. Solidarity and unity have been inscribed in the hearts of the Chinese people as part of their national identity. Despite occasional division in the Chinese history, ethnic harmony and national unity have remained the main stream in the history of the Chinese nation, and an important guarantee for China’s development and progress. The founding of the People’s Republic of China marked an unprecedented great unity of the Chinese nation. A new type of relationship of equality, solidarity and mutual assistance between different nationalities has been established. People of all nationalities enjoy full rights and freedoms provided for by the law. In places where there is a high concentration of minority nationality people, regional autonomy is in practice. These regions have witnessed continued economic and social development. All these have laid a solid political foundation for consolidated national unity.

Second, the tradition of maintaining independence. Our ancestors always regarded the spirit of maintaining independence as the foundation of a nation. As one of the cradles of human civilization, China has all along maintained its cultural tradition without letup in the history of several thousand years. In modern times, the frequent bullying and humiliation by imperialist powers once weakened China. However, after a hundred years’ struggle of the entire Chinese nation, China has stood up again as a giant. This fully testifies to the indestructible strength of this independent national spirit of the Chinese people. Today, in finding a road to development suited to us, we will proceed from our own national conditions to address the issue of how to conduct economic construction and political and cultural advancement without blindly copying other countries’ models. In handling international affairs, we decide our positions and policies from an independent approach. The Chinese people cherish its friendship and cooperation with other peoples, as well as their right to independence they have won through protracted struggles.

Third, the peace-loving tradition. Chinese thinkers of the pre-Qin days (over 2,000 years ago) advanced the doctrine “loving people and treating neighbors kindly are most valuable to a country.” This is a reflection of the aspiration of the Chinese people for a peaceful world where people of all countries live in harmony. Today, the Chinese people who are committed to modernization need more than ever a long-term international environment of peace and a favorable neighboring environment. China’s foreign policy is peace-oriented. We will establish and develop friendly relations and cooperation with all countries in the world on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, especially the principles of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit and non-interference in each other’s internal affairs. We will never impose upon others the kind of sufferings we once experienced. A developing and progressing China does not pose a threat to anyone. China will never seek hegemony even if it is developed in the future. China is always a staunch force for world peace and regional stability.

Fourth, the tradition of constantly striving for self-perfection. Through observing the changing nature of the universe and all earthly matters, 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 China’s ancient civilization were brought about by the tireless efforts and hard work of the Chinese nation. In the past one 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 1911 to remove the millennia old autocratic monarchy in China. Under the guidance of Mao Zedong Thought, the Chinese Communist Party led the Chinese people in achieving China’s 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 recent 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 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 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 China and its future.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The friendly exchanges between the Chinese and American peoples date 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 and 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 pattern and people’s social life. If we persist in our reform, we will be able to turn our ideals into reality. In our course to further open up and achieve modernization, we have spared no efforts in learning from all the fine cultural achievements of the American people.

Friendship and cooperation between our two peoples are of great importance to the world. The United States is the most developed country and China the largest developing country. China is a country with 1.2 billion people. Its stability and rapid development is of vital importance to the stability and development in Asia-Pacific and the world at large. China holds a huge market and great demand for development and the United States holds advanced science and technology as well as enormous material force. The economies of the two countries are therefore highly complementary with each other. China’s potential market, once combined with foreign advanced technology and capital, will produce many opportunities and great vigor for development. China and the United States share broad common interests and shoulder common responsibility on many important questions which are crucial to human survival and development such as maintaining world peace and security, preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction, protecting environment for human survival and combating international crimes. All these provide an important basis for further developing China-U.S. friendly relations and cooperation. We should take a firm hold of the overall interests of China-U.S. relations and settle our differences properly so as to reach the goal of promoting mutual understanding, broadening common ground, developing cooperation and building a future together.

During my current visit to the United States, I had an in-depth exchange of views and reached broad agreement with President Clinton on the future development of China-U.S. relations. We both agree that with a view to promoting the lofty cause of world peace and development, China and the United States should strengthen cooperation and work to build a constructive strategic partnership oriented toward the 21st century. This will mark a new stage of development in the China-U.S. relations.

Harvard University has all along placed importance on China studies. The late Professor Fairbank was a well-known scholar from Harvard. He devoted all his life to the study of Chinese history and culture. In order to promote the study of China’s past and present, I will present Harvard with a set of newly published Twenty-Four Histories with Mao Zedong’s Comments. Twenty-Four Histories are important classical works on China’s history of several thousand years. In his life time, Mr. Mao Zedong made numerous comments and annotations on the Twenty-Four Histories, thus leaving us with a rich heritage of philosophy in understanding and drawing useful lessons from China’s history.I am glad to learn that you, Mr. President, will come to China next year. I look forward to meeting you again in Beijing or Shanghai.

I highly appreciate the motto on the gate of your University. It reads: “Enter to grow in wisdom” and “Depart to serve better the country and the kind.” Young people in China have also a motto, that is, “keep the motherland in heart and serve the people with heart and soul.” I hope that in the cause of building our own countries and promoting world peace and development, younger generations of China and the United States will understand each other better, learn from each other, enhance the friendship and strive for a better future.

Thank you very much for your attention.

               Source：USC US-China Institute

下面是中文对照翻译：

校长先生，女士们，先生们：

　　我感谢Dr. Neil L. Rudenstine 校长的邀请，使我有机会在这美好的金秋时节，来到你们这座美国古老而又现代化的学府。

　　哈佛建校三百六十年来，培养出许多杰出的政治家、科学家、文学家和企业家，曾出过六位美国总统，三十多位诺贝尔奖获得者。先有哈佛，后有美利坚合众国，这说明了哈佛在美国历史上的地位。

　　哈佛是最早接受中国留学生的美国大学之一。中国教育界、科学界、文化界一直同哈佛大学保持着学术交流。哈佛为增进中美两国人民的相互了解作出了有益的贡献。

　　相互了解，是发展国与国之间关系的前提。惟有相互了解，才能增进信任，加强合作。中美建交以来，我们两国人民之间的相互交流与了解在逐渐扩大和加深，但还不够。为了推动中美关系的发展，中国需要进一步了解美国，美国也需要进一步了解中国。

　　要了解中国，可以有很多视角。现实中国是历史中国的发展。中国是一个有五千年文明历史的国家，从历史文化来了解和认识中国，是一个重要的视角。

　　记得我在高中读书时，老师给我们讲微积分，第一课就是讲《庄子》中的“一尺之棰，日取其半，万世不竭”，很形象地使我建立起极限的概念。这表明中国古人就已认识到事物的发展变化是无限的，也说明我们的先人对自然界的认识已达到相当的水平。早在公元前二千五百年，中国人就开始了仰观天文、俯察地理的活动，逐渐形成了“天人合一”的宇宙观。中国历史上产生了许多杰出的哲学家、思想家、政治家、军事家、科学家和文学艺术家，留下了浩如烟海的文化典籍。春秋战国时期出现的“百家争鸣”局面和老子、孔子等诸子百家的学说，在世界思想史上占有重要地位。古代中国在天文历法、地学、数学、农学、医学和人文科学的许多领域，都作出过独特的贡献。殷商时期的甲骨文中就有日月之食的记载。从秦代到清末的二千一百多年间，哈雷彗星出现二十七次，中国都有记录。汉代张衡发明了测定地震方位的地动仪和演示日月星辰的浑天仪。先秦的数学家提出了勾股定理。南北朝的祖冲之算出圆周率为3 ．1 4 1 5 9 2 6 。中国的丝织、制瓷、冶金、造船技术很早就达到世界的先进水平。明代朱载首创十二平均律，后来被认定为世界通行的标准音调。中国的医药学在世界上独树一帜。特别是中国的造纸、火药、印刷术、指南针四大发明，曾经改变了世界的面貌。直到十五世纪以前，中国的科学技术在世界上保持了千年的领先地位。中国人的这些发明创造，体现了人与自然协调发展、科学精神与道德理想相结合的理性光辉。

　　中国的历史文化始终处于发展进步之中。它是通过各种学科、各种学派的相互砥砺、相互渗透而发展的，也是通过同世界各国的相互交流、相互学习而进步的。中国人早就懂得兼取众长、以为己善的道理。汉、唐时期，既是经济繁荣的盛世，也是中外交流的盛世。张骞出使西域，开拓举世闻名的“丝绸之路”。玄奘万里取经，带回南亚国家的古老文化。明代郑和“七下西洋”，把中华文化传向远方的国度。但是后来特别是清代晚期，封建统治者实行闭关锁国政策，阻碍了中国的进步和中外交流。鸦片战争以来，一代又一代先进的中国人，为了振兴中华，努力向西方国家学习先进的科学思想和文明成果，并同中国的实际相结合，推动了中国社会的变革与发展。今天，正在为实现现代化而奋斗的中国人民，把对外开放作为一项基本国策，同世界各国进行广泛的交流与合作，开创了中国历史上崭新的开放局面。

　　阳光包含七种色彩，世界也是异彩纷呈。每个国家、每个民族都有自己的历史文化传统，都有自己的长处和优势，应该相互尊重，相互学习，取长补短，共同进步。

　　中国在自己发展的长河中，形成了优良的历史文化传统。这些传统，随着时代变迁和社会进步获得扬弃和发展，对今天中国人的价值观念、生活方式和中国的发展道路，具有深刻的影响。这里，我想就以下一些方面谈些看法，希望有助于诸位对中国的了解。

　　一是团结统一的传统。中华民族是由五十六个民族组成的大家庭。从遥远的古代起，我国各族人民就建立了紧密的政治经济文化联系，共同开发了祖国的河山，两千多年前就形成了幅员广阔的统一国家。悠久的中华文化，成为维系民族团结和国家统一的牢固纽带。团结统一，深深印在中国人的民族意识中。中国历史上虽曾出现过暂时的分裂现象，但民族团结和国家统一始终是中华民族历史的主流，是中国发展进步的重要保障。新中国的成立，标志着中华民族实现了空前的大团结。各民族之间建立了平等、团结、互助的新型关系。各民族人民依法享有各项权利和自由。在少数民族聚居的地方实行了区域自治。民族地区的经济社会获得不断的发展。所有这些，为巩固国家统一奠定了坚实的政治基础。

　　二是独立自主的传统。我们的先人历来把独立自主视为立国之本。中国作为人类文明发祥地之一，在几千年的历史进程中，文化传统始终没有中断。近代中国虽屡遭列强欺凌，国势衰败，但经过全民族的百年抗争，又以巨人的姿态重新站立起来。这充分说明，中国人独立自主的民族精神具有坚不可摧的力量。今天，我们在探索自己的发展道路时，坚持从中国国情出发，来解决如何进行经济政治文化建设的问题，而不照搬别国的模式。在处理国际事务中，我们采取独立自主的立场和政策。中国人民珍惜同各国人民的友谊与合作，也珍惜自己经过长期奋斗而得来的独立自主权利。

　　三是爱好和平的传统。我国先秦思想家就提出了“亲仁善邻，国之宝也”的思想，反映了自古以来中国人民就希望天下太平、同各国人民友好相处。今天，专心致志进行现代化建设的中国人民，更需要有一个长期的和平国际环境和良好的周边环境。我国的对外政策，是以和平为宗旨的。我们坚持在和平共处五项原则，特别是在相互尊重、平等互利、互不干涉内政的原则基础上，同世界各国建立和发展友好合作关系。我们绝不会把自己曾经遭受欺凌的苦难加之于人。中国的发展与进步，不会对任何人构成威胁。将来中国富强起来了，也永远不称霸。中国始终是维护世界和平与地区稳定的坚定力量。

　　四是自强不息的传统。我们的先哲通过观察宇宙万物的变动不居，提出了“天行健，君子以自强不息”的思想，成为激励中国人民变革创新、努力奋斗的精神力量。中国古代文明的发展，是中华民族艰苦奋斗、自强不息的结果。近百年来，为了摆脱半殖民地半封建的历史境遇，中国人民进行了艰苦卓绝、奋发图强的斗争。

　　中国民主革命的先行者孙中山首先提出“振兴中华”的口号，他领导的辛亥革命，推翻了在中国延续几千年的君主专制制度。在毛泽东思想指引下，中国共产党领导中国人民实现了民族独立和人民解放，并把中国建设成为初步繁荣昌盛的社会主义国家。今天，在邓小平理论指引下，我国人民坚定不移地实行改革开放，在现代化建设中取得举世瞩目的成就。中国进入了百年来发展最快最好的历史时期。

　　改革开放，是中华民族自强不息和变革创新精神在当代的集中体现和创造性发展。我们把改革开放叫作社会主义改革开放，因为它是中国社会主义制度的自我完善和发展。近二十年的实践已充分证明，我们进行改革开放的方向是正确的，信念是坚定的，步骤是稳妥的，方式是渐进的，取得的成就是巨大的。虽然在前进中也遇到这样和那样一些困难和风险，但我们都顺利地解决了，不仅没有引起大的社会震动，而且极大地解放和发展了社会生产力，保持了社会稳定和全面进步。

　　现在，我们正在满怀信心地全面推进改革。在经济上，要加快建立社会主义市场经济体制，实现工业化和经济的社会化、市场化、现代化；在政治上，要努力发展社会主义民主政治，依法治国，建设社会主义法治国家，保证人民充分行使管理国家和社会事务的权力；在文化上，要积极建设面向现代化、面向世界、面向未来的，民族的科学的大众的社会主义文化，实行科教兴国战略，不断提高全民族的思想道德素质和科学文化素质。总起来说，就是要把中国建成富强民主文明的现代化国家。

　　中国作为疆域辽阔、人口众多、历史悠久的国家，应该对人类有较大的贡献。中国人民所以要进行百年不屈不挠的斗争，所以要实行一次又一次的伟大变革、实现国家的繁荣富强，所以要加强民族团结、完成祖国统一大业，所以要促进世界和平与发展的崇高事业，归根到底就是为了一个目标：实现中华民族的伟大复兴，争取对人类作出新的更大的贡献。

　　总之，今天中国所选择的社会制度和发展道路，实行的内外政策，确定的下个世纪的奋斗目标，既有现实的根据，又有历史的渊源；既符合人类历史发展的趋势和时代潮流，又具有中华民族自己的特色；既符合中国人民的根本利益，又有利于世界的和平、稳定、繁荣与进步。掌握这一点，乃是了解和认识中国现状与未来的关键。

　　中美两国人民的友好交往，已有二百多年历史。一七八四年，美国商船“中国皇后号”远航到中国。一八四七年，中国最早的一批留美学生容闳等人赴美求学。许多中国人参加了美国的建设事业，不少美国人同情和帮助过中国的民族解放事业。他们的动人事迹，我们永远记在心中。

　　中国人民一向钦佩美国人民的求实精神和创造精神。昨天，我参观了国际商用机器公司、美国电话电报公司和贝尔实验室，领略了当代科技发展的前沿成就。科学技术的突飞猛进，越来越深刻地影响着世界政治经济的格局和人们的社会生活。坚持变革创新，理想就会变为现实。我们在扩大开放、实现现代化的进程中，重视学习和吸收美国人民创造的一切优秀文化成果。

　　中美两国人民的友好合作对世界具有重大影响。美国是最发达的资本主义国家，中国是最大的发展中国家。十二亿人口的中国保持稳定和加快发展，对促进亚太地区和世界的稳定与发展，具有极其重要的意义。中国拥有广大的市场和发展需求，美国拥有先进的科学技术和巨大的物质力量，两国之间有着很强的经济互补性。中国的潜在市场同国外的先进技术和资金优势结合起来，就能形成众多的发展机遇和强大的发展活力。中国和美国，在事关人类生存和发展的许多重大问题上，例如维护世界和平与安全，防止大规模杀伤性武器扩散，保护人类生存环境，打击国际犯罪等，有着广泛的共同利益，肩负着共同责任。这些都是中美两国发展友好合作的重要基础。我们应该牢牢把握中美关系的大局，妥善解决分歧，不断朝着增进了解、扩大共识、发展合作、共创未来的目标前进。

　　这次访问期间，我同克林顿总统就中美关系的未来发展，深入交换了意见，达成了广泛共识。双方同意，为了促进世界和平与发展的崇高事业，中美应该加强合作，努力建立面向二十一世纪的建设性的战略伙伴关系。这标志着中美关系进入了一个新的发展阶段。

　　哈佛大学一向重视对中国的研究。贵校已故的费正清教授，就是毕生从事中国历史文化研究的知名学者。为了有助于研究中国的历史和现实，我愿向贵校赠送一套新出版的《毛泽东评点二十四史》。二十四史是记载中国几千年历史的重要典籍。毛泽东先生一生对二十四史做过许多评点和批注，为认识中国的历史和吸取历史经验，留下了丰富的思想遗产。我高兴地得知，Dr. Neil L. Rudenstine 校长将于明年访华，我期待在北京与你再次见面。

　　我很欣赏哈佛校门上的一段话：“为增长智慧走进来，为服务祖国和同胞走出去。”中国青年也把“胸怀祖国、服务人民”作为自己的座右铭。我希望中美两国青年在建设各自国家、促进世界和平与发展的事业中，加深了解，互相学习，增进友谊，为创造美好的未来而努力奋斗。

　　谢谢各位！

来源：《人民日报》（19971102一版）