As some of you may already know, I will soon return to the United States to reunite with my family, so that my two older children can finish high school there. It was not an easy decision to move my family back to America, but it was a decision I made with my family. My wife and children are very sad to leave here; The people of China have always been very warm and friendly. Our family has learned something about the countries of our ancestors, which makes people feel happy and excited.
Before I leave China, I want to talk about some topics that are particularly important to me and China: the rule of law and freedom of speech are of great significance to the formation of a progressive and stable society.
The rule of law and freedom of speech have helped the United States become such a successful, creative, dynamic and stable society, attracting and continuing to attract people from all over the world.
Let's talk about the rule of law first. As you may know, I started as a lawyer and worked as a criminal prosecutor in my hometown of Seattle, Washington for four years. I am responsible for prosecuting people accused of burglary, robbery, drug trafficking and murder.
My passion for law has run through my career. I worked as a part-time judge for a while. As a governor of Washington, my work often involves legal affairs.
According to the criminal justice system of the United States, no matter whether it is a small case of burglary or a lawsuit involving life and death, anyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty. In addition, all people-big or small, rich or poor, well-known or unknown-enjoy fair opportunities and are treated equally.
The rights of small people are the cornerstone of the American legal system. As early as the18th century, few people thought that the loose alliance of 13 colonies on the other side of the Atlantic could get rid of the rule of Great Britain and gain independence. But these colonies did win. As the young America continues to strive to create the foundation of a new country, our founding fathers demand that our Constitution guarantee the protection of the rights of the little people.
After several generations of efforts, our American courts have established that no one is above the law, even the president of the United States of America. In the case of 1974 America v Nixon, the Supreme Court, despite President Nixon's strong opposition, ordered the White House to release the conversation tapes recorded by the oval office. The information disclosed in these tapes clearly shows that the White House was covering up illegal activities, which eventually led to the resignation of President Nixon. Our legal and political system proves once again that no one is above the law, even the most powerful person in America.
China's own legal tradition and history are far longer than ours, and it is different from the United States in many aspects, but it also incorporates the concept of equality before the law. As early as the 4th century BC, Shang Yang, a famous politician and reformer in China, expounded his legal philosophy in the Book of Shang Jun. One of the most important theories he established is embodied in his famous saying: "When a monarch breaks the law, he is as guilty as the common people". Therefore, in China more than 2,300 years ago, the principle of equality before the law was put forward and recognized.
The Constitution of the United States is the foundation of our legal system. One of the reasons why this system has proved to be valuable is that it can adapt to the inevitable social changes. In this sense, it has the ability of self-correction. We amend the Constitution from time to time in order to more accurately reflect the values of our country and protect more people-including those who were excluded in the past. It was not until nearly 65,438,000 years after the founding of the People's Republic of China that three constitutional amendments were passed that African-Americans were considered as American citizens enjoying all rights and freedoms. Similarly, women were not allowed to vote until the amendment 1920 was passed. In 2008, barack obama was elected as the first African-American president of China, which once again proved our progress.
According to the experience of my own country, the rule of law provides greater legitimacy for the government, because people believe that there are just and transparent channels to correct various problems. The rule of law does not necessarily guarantee a person to obtain favorable results. The losing party in court will not agree with the outcome of the case, but when they leave, they think they have a chance to defend themselves in court-a fair chance to defend themselves. They left believing that the legal process was basically fair.
It's the same as sports. You can't always agree with the referee's ruling, but if everyone follows the rules and believes that the referee is fair, athletes and fans can accept the result of the game, even if the side they support loses. However, it is unacceptable for the referee to ignore or distort the rules and take a partial approach to one side or one player.
A recent example of people's confidence in China's legal system is the US presidential election in 2000-the competition between Governor George Bush and Vice President Al Gore. For the first time in American history, the result of the presidential election was finally decided by only nine people-nine justices of the US Supreme Court. They had to decide what procedure should be used to count the votes in order to recalculate some very chaotic votes in Florida-given that the votes in that state were very close, everyone knew at that time that this decision could confirm who was elected president of the United States. Although some groups think that Vice President Al Gore actually won more votes in Florida and should be declared as the next president, their decision on how to count Florida's disputed votes is in George Bush's favor.
However, despite the extremely strong controversy caused by the Supreme Court's decision, Vice President Al Gore and his supporters still accepted the court's decision because they believed that China's legal institutions and procedures were honest and needed to make a final decision. In many other countries, the success or failure of the presidential election is so close and the competition is so fierce that angry thugs will take to the streets, trigger a revolution and even seize power by the army. The American people have accepted the court's decision on who will be the next president, which clearly proves that a strong rule of law is of great significance and can play a stabilizing role.
Another stabilizing force in American society is freedom of speech. We believe that freedom of speech is a universal right, which has been incorporated into our constitution. In fact, China's Constitution also provides for freedom of speech. Freedom of speech is an inseparable part of the First Amendment to the US Constitution, which stipulates that we enjoy basic rights such as freedom of speech, freedom of religious belief and freedom of assembly.
The protection of freedom of speech in the First Amendment is not only applicable to the speech that reflects the opinions of the majority or the position of the government, but more importantly, it protects the expression of ideas that do not represent the mainstream and are often unpopular. However, society has benefited a lot from the publication of these views. These remarks can trigger a much-needed discussion on important topics. These discussions can promote and influence the opinions of most people, and at the same time realize policy changes to improve society in the process.
This is not uncommon in American history. Please let me give two recent examples.
The first is the African-American civil rights movement. Although President Lincoln released the The Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 and liberated slaves, in the following 100, most parts of the United States remained isolated. Many southern states have directly violated our Constitution and Lincoln Declaration, and passed laws restricting the rights of African-Americans. These states use legal provisions to isolate and restrict the civil rights of African-Americans.
Taking advantage of the freedom of speech guaranteed by the Constitution, civil rights leaders eloquently explained in the 1950s and 1960s that the modern democratic society would never tolerate apartheid. One of the most influential is Reverend Martin Luther King, who described such an era in his famous speech entitled "I have a dream". In his original words, "one day, my four young children will live in a country where they will be judged not by the color of their skin, but by their character."
The moral power of this speech inspired the whole country and urged politicians to take action. In the next two years, Congress passed historic legislation on citizenship and voting rights, and outlawed major forms of discrimination.
The second example of freedom of speech playing a key role in modern American history is the protest against the Vietnam War. The American people use their freedom of speech to question the wisdom of sending young people to fight a war they think is unnecessary in the jungle of Vietnam.
Secretary of State John Kerry is one of the most eloquent opponents of this war. 197 1 He spoke on behalf of Vietnam veterans at the congressional hearing. One sentence in his testimony has now become a famous saying: "How can you ask a man to lose his life in Vietnam? How can you ask a man to die for a mistake? "
I can assure you that this is not what President Nixon and our military leaders want to hear. But young John Kerry and thousands of protesters used their freedom of speech to forcefully explain their reasons for opposing the Vietnam War, so as to help the government change its policy and end the war.
Telling the truth to someone in power like John Kerry is not unique to the United States. China himself has an old saying that can be traced back more than 2,000 years ago, that is, "Advice when most needed is least heeded". This sentence is about Sean's advice to Liu Bang after he conquered Qin in 207 BC. Liu Bang wanted to live in the palace he had just seized and enjoy the treasures and beautiful women inside, but Sean told him that if he did, he might be regarded as a helper. Liu Bang had to listen to Sean's advice, thus winning the support of the people.
Of course, freedom of speech is not just about making unforgettable speeches. It also includes the free flow of information. Unrestricted access to information is essential to the modernization, development and progress of society. In China, we have seen in the past few years that the free flow of information can play an important and positive role in social modernization.
Let's look at environmental issues first. In Beijing, everyone knows that the air quality is poor, but they don't know how bad it is. Americans living here are very concerned about this and want to know the information about the air quality they breathe. To this end, the US Embassy began to provide PM 2.5 hour readings for Americans living in Beijing. This information will eventually be known to a wider audience, and will help the people of China get information when they openly discuss how their country should improve air quality online and through other channels.
Soon after, Beijing and other major cities in China began to monitor and publish their own PM2.5 data. In recent months, the central government and the Beijing Municipal Government have further formulated a comprehensive plan to improve air quality.
The free flow of information is also crucial for improving governance, especially for combating the scourge of corruption. In the past few years, ordinary China citizens have used the Internet to report suspected corruption incidents, which has left a particularly deep impression on me. In the United States, we also fight corruption by requiring government officials to publicly declare assets every year. The requirement to provide this information makes it more difficult to hide bribery and other corrupt practices.
In China, there are calls for similar demands on China officials. The U.S. government is particularly worried that some people who call for change are now being prosecuted and retaliated for publicly exposing corruption and peacefully expressing their views.
We also know that the diversity of views and the free flow of ideas have never been so important to the success of a country as today, because today's Internet age is particularly suitable for creation and innovation. Vice President Biden said in Beijing last month that innovation will flourish where people can breathe freely, speak freely and challenge orthodoxy. If the newspaper can report the truth carefree, it will prosper. We now have many differences on the above issues, including the way to treat American journalists. However, I and many people in the world believe that if China respects universal human rights, it will be stronger, more stable and more innovative.
As more and more people go online and express their ideas freely, the network is more valuable to everyone, users and society. But if people can't fully express their ideas or participate in online discussions, the potential of the Internet will never be fully exerted. Therefore, it is important that everyone should be able to express their ideas on the Internet and use the Internet to debate and discuss topics, even if what they say may be unpopular, even if what they say may be regarded as sensitive by some groups or individuals.
In the globalized world, the free flow of online information is becoming more and more important. In such a world, the most pressing problems are not limited by national boundaries; If any country sets up barriers, all countries will suffer. This is especially true when dealing with international issues, such as infectious diseases that may spread rapidly from one country to another, and food safety in this era of global trade.
In short, the rule of law and freedom of speech are crucial to the country's progress and progress. As an American, one of the many factors that I am proud of is that the American people, through the efforts of generations in our country, have been making continuous efforts to bring the United States closer to the idea of establishing a "more perfect union" as mentioned in the preamble of our Constitution.
Freedom of speech and the rule of law are the main pillars of this concept. They help build a united and patriotic nation, firmly believe in their rights and devote themselves to the future of the country.
China has a bright future, but realizing its full potential will depend on a neutral and respected judicial system, active and dedicated lawyers, wise leadership and respect for the rule of law. It also depends on respect for freedom of speech guaranteed by the Constitution, an open Internet, and citizens' extensive knowledge and willingness to participate in unlimited dialogue on how best to build a stable and progressive future for China. A vibrant ideological market is vital to the health and progress of any country.