Speeches and Articles by Former Consul General Michael Klosson

Independence Day Message From U.S. Consul General Michael Klosson

July 3, 2000

Americans in Hong Kong and around the world will celebrate the 224th anniversary of our nation's independence on July 4, 2000. This is the first Independence Day of the 21st century, and my first in Hong Kong as Consul General of the United States. It is a privilege to serve here.

Our country has come a long way since a small group of American patriots gathered together in Philadelphia in the 18th century to declare our independence from our colonial power. The new form of democratic government that they fashioned more than two centuries ago honors human dignity and protects individual rights, and it has brought us stability and unprecedented prosperity in the face of enormous and continuing change. As heirs to the freedom and equality bequeathed to us by our founding fathers, it is our responsibility to build on that legacy and to ensure that America's promise holds true for all of our people and serves as a shining example.

Americans and the people of Hong Kong enjoy a relationship that goes back at least 150 years. Today there are approximately 1,100 American companies in Hong Kong, which employ about ten percent of the work force, and American business has made direct investments in this city worth about US$21 billion.

But our interest in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China is about much more than business. It is based on extensive ties between our peoples, including the 50,000 Americans resident here, our common interests and our shared attachment to universal values. We cooperate in international economic policy. We work together to fight crime, protect intellectual property rights, arrest drug traffickers and halt weapons proliferation. We exchange scholars and visits, including the visits of men and women on board U.S. Navy ships who are excited to call here regularly. Our personal ties and shared objectives ensure that Americans will retain an abiding interest in Hong Kong and will seek to contribute as best we can to its continued vitality, prosperity and stability.

Relations between the people of the United States and people of Hong Kong are also part of the larger context of U.S.-China relations. As evidenced by Secretary of State Albright's recent visit to Beijing, that relationship appears to be moving along a positive path. The recent vote in the U.S. House of Representatives to approve permanent normal trade relations status for China was a significant development. Hong Kong played a very helpful role by illuminating for Congressional Members some of the issues at stake and by providing a window on the kind of future China can achieve through increased integration in the international economy.

I wish a happy Independence Day to all Americans in Hong Kong, and I extend to the people of Hong Kong our best wishes for the future.

 

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