Speeches and Articles by Former Consul General Michael Klosson

Remarks by U.S. Consul General Michael Klosson
U.S. Independence Day Reception

July 3, 2001
Grand Hyatt Hotel, Hong Kong

Chief Executive Tung, ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to welcome you here this evening. Thank you for joining us to celebrate the 225th birthday of the United States of America.

This year is a major anniversary for us. Now, I realize that in the context of Chinese history, 225 years might not seem like a long time. In fact, when our Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, China was already into its 13th dynasty. Qian Long, the great Qing Dynasty emperor at that time, probably had more things on his mind than the fate of 13 small British colonies on the other side of the world.

But this is an important anniversary for us. It demonstrates that the principles of freedom and individual liberty upon which our nation was founded remain as compelling today as they were when our founding fathers banded together over two centuries ago.

As set forth in the Declaration of Independence, the concept of individual liberty embraces both personal freedoms - freedom of expression, conscience and association - as well as economic liberty, under which individuals may seek better material conditions for themselves and their families. These different aspects of liberty reinforce each other. America's history shows, as do trends around the world, that political and economic freedom go hand in hand, and propel people forward. They constitute core principles of our new President George Bush's foreign policy.

This week, both the United States and the Hong Kong SAR celebrate important anniversaries. It's a nice coincidence, since both share important values like respect for human rights and the rule of law, as well as common interests and goals. We're working together to promote a more open international trading system, to improve the environment, to combat transnational crime, and to exchange scholars and students. The United States hopes to strengthen that cooperation, and as time goes on, to advance a similarly constructive relationship with all of China.

The relationship between the United States and Hong Kong goes back over 150 years. I recently came across the first recorded statistics on our trade. They show that in 1873 we exported a whopping $1,493,372 of goods to Hong Kong. Interestingly, that was more than America exported to Japan at the time. And... we enjoyed a surplus... even in those days, sorry Mr. Tung - importing only $838,649! But what a difference a century makes - from $2 million then to over $26 billion last year.

Even in those early days, Americans saw clearly and with uncanny foresight the tremendous business potential of Hong Kong.

Today telecommunications and IT are growth sectors for American investment in Hong Kong as it seeks to establish itself as Asia's premier telecommunications hub.

Guess what - Americans in the 19th century had the same vision. One of the things our first diplomatic envoy to China -Anson Burlingame - did was to secure permission in 1865 for the East India Telegraph Company of New York to lay cables along the coast of China to Hong Kong. The plan was to connect in Hong Kong a proposed British cable from India with cables going north through China, Russia and across Alaska, British Columbia to the east coast of America.

The original, fledging American presence in Hong Kong has grown today to approximately 1,100 American companies and about 50,000 U.S. citizens, who are fortunate enough to reside in this beautiful city. As I look out , it seems like maybe they're all in this room!

Anyhow, I am pleased to be one of these American residents of Hong Kong, and to represent the United States in Macau. Boni and I feel privileged to be celebrating our 2nd Independence Day here. It is a special honor to be marking this occasion with the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR.

I also wish to acknowledge the presence of the senior representative of the Macau SAR Government, Secretary for Administration and Justice Florinda Chan. Thank you for joining us tonight. The United States is expanding its ties with the new Macau SAR, and we are pleased with the progress.

Finally, I would like to add a special note of thanks to all of our sponsors from the American business community whose support made possible this kind of large, inclusive event. They certainly helped us put the sparkle into this party. We hope you will all enjoy this evening.

Now, it is my pleasure to propose a toast: To the People's Republic of China and the people of the Hong Kong and Macau Special Administrative Regions.

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