Remarks by President Obama and President Xi Jinping of China Before Bilateral Meeting

U.S. Ambassador’s Residence
The Hague, The Netherlands

12:48 P.M. CET

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  (In progress)-- We have made incredible strides over these past several decades, and I know that President Xi and I are both committed to continuing to strengthen and build a new model of relations between our countries. 

I want to, first of all, thank the President and the First Lady of China for being such gracious hosts when Michelle, Malia and Sasha first arrived in China.  And they’re still there.  They’ve seen the Great Wall; they’ve seen the Terracotta Warriors.  And from my phone calls with them, they’re having an extraordinary time.  So I want to thank the President for his outstanding hospitality towards my family.

And Michelle had an opportunity to meet with a number of young people in China, and these kinds of person-to-person ties are extremely important.  And she also played some table tennis, although I think this was not the high-level Ping-Pong diplomacy that we saw in the past.  (Laughter.) 

Today, in addition to the important work that we're going to be doing at the Nuclear Security Summit, we'll have the opportunity to discuss a wide range of issues that are of mutual interest, including the denuclearization of North Korea, situations surrounding climate change, as well as world issues like the situation in Ukraine.

And because of the numerous meetings and fora that we've been able to establish, we're able not only to work on those issues of mutual interest and concern, but we're also able to work through frictions that exist in our relations around issues like human rights or dealing with maritime issues in the South China Sea and in the Pacific region in a way that's constructive and hopefully will lead to resolutions and improved solutions for all parties concerned. 

We'll also have the opportunity to discuss economic issues, which are a cornerstone of our relationship, and the importance of our trading relationship and making sure that we are both abiding by the rules that allow us to create jobs and prosperity in both of our countries.

I think it's fair to say that this bilateral relationship has been as important as any bilateral relationship in the world, and we've made great strides.  I believe ultimately that by working together, that China and the United States can help to strengthen international law, respect for the sovereignty of nations, and establish the kinds of rules internationally that allow all people to thrive. 

And so I'm very much looking forward to this conversation and to the interaction with President Xi during the course of this Nuclear Security Summit.

PRESIDENT XI:  (As interpreted.)  Mr. President, it's my great pleasure to meet you again.  First of all, let me thank you for calling me recently to express sympathy over the missing Malaysia Airlines flight and for instructing relevant U.S. agencies to join the search for the missing plane, and for sharing information with the Chinese side.  I want to thank you for that.

Before departing Beijing, my wife and I met your wife, Michelle, your mother-in-law, Mrs. Robinson, and your two lovely daughters, Malia and Sasha.  We had a very good conversation.  I know they’ve finished their tour of Beijing and Xi’an and they’re flying to Chengdu.  I'm sure it is a trip of friendship and exchange, and this trip will be remembered for them as a pleasant and memorable one.  When I was bidding farewell to Michelle in Beijing, she asked me to formally convey to you her best regards.  (Laughter.) 

Over the past year, you and I have stayed in close communication through meetings, phone calls, and exchange of letters.  We have arrived at a series of important points of consensus, and made important and positive progress in our bilateral relationship.

We are now in the 35th year of formal diplomatic relations between China and the United States.  We live in a complex world, and there is greater space where China and the United States are cooperating and where we need to and can work with each other. 

I have received and carefully read your recent letter to me, Mr. President.  In the letter you said that you remain committed to building the new model of major country relations with China.  You also said that China-U.S. cooperation can help to advance our two countries’ common interests, and we can address common challenges through practical cooperation.  I appreciate these statements.

I wish to emphasize that China is firmly committed to the set direction of building a new model of major country relations. We are committed to our position of no confrontation, no conflict, mutual respect, and win-win cooperation with regard to the United States.  We’ll adopt a more positive attitude and more vigorous actions to strengthen cooperation with the United States, and also to effectively manage our differences and sensitivities and make sure the China-U.S. relationship will continue to move forward in a healthy and steady fashion.

We will soon go into our meeting; just now you mentioned some issues, which might come up in our meeting.  It is like a menu, and a rich one at that.  I hope through this meeting we can further deepen our communication and exchange.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: Thank you, everybody.

END
1:00 P.M. CET

Remarks by the Vice President and Dr. Biden to the Human Rights Campaign Los Angeles Dinner

J.W. Marriott Los Angeles LA Live
Los Angeles, California

7:41 P.M. PDT

DR. BIDEN:  Thank you, Chad, for that kind introduction.  Joe and I are so proud to be with you tonight, and you are doing a phenomenal job leading HRC.  (Applause.) 

Hello, Los Angeles, my name is Jill Biden.  (Applause.)  I am with you tonight as an educator who knows the kind of bullying and harassment that some of my students face in the classroom, and the rejection they encounter at home. 

I am with you tonight as a military mom and someone who cares deeply for our service members and their families --(applause) -- who saw the burden that “don’t ask, don't tell” and DOMA placed on so many of our military families who serve this nation with just as much courage and patriotism and sacrifices as any other military family.  (Applause.)

And I am with you tonight as a mother and a grandmother -- in fact, our granddaughter Finnegan is with us.  I, like you, want my children and grandchildren to grow up in an America where no matter who you are or whom you love, you are treated with dignity and respect -- (applause) -- an America where your rights can't disappear from one state to the next, so that gay parents from California have the same rights when they take their kids to visit grandparents on Arizona.  That's the kind of country we want to live in.  And for God’s sake, an America where the Vice President of the United States can speak up for basic human rights and equality and it’s not breaking news.  (Applause.)

I am so proud of Joe and his commitment.  Tonight, we celebrate the work that you do to change hearts and minds and open up opportunities for every American from our classrooms, to our boardrooms, to our locker rooms.  And I’m with you tonight and always ready to finish the important work that remains.  I am here with another ally and champion for equality, a man whose life purpose stems from a profound commitment to civil rights, a man who always speaks from the heart.  Please join me in welcoming my husband, our Vice President, Joe Biden.  (Applause.)

THE VICE PRESIDENT:  Thank you very much, Jill.  (Applause.)  Thank you, so please, please sit down.  I know it shocks you to hear that I sometimes speak my mind.  (Laughter.)  As a matter of fact, someone said not long ago no one ever doubts what Biden says, the problem is sometimes he says all that he thinks.  (Laughter.) 

And I assure you it was no surprise in the Biden household when I spoke out on “Meet the Press.” 

But, folks, before I begin I’d like to introduce you to my best friend in the world, my sister, Valerie, and her son, who is an attorney out here in Los Angeles, and my granddaughter.  Our granddaughter has come along with us, and the reason she’s with us is that I want her to understand, which she is now only beginning to understand, that what she thinks and all her generation thinks is starting to be thought by older folks, too.  (Laughter and applause.)

And so, ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to my sister, Valerie Biden, her son Cuffe -- actually it’s not Biden.  She’s married.  Valerie Owens, her son Cuffe, and my granddaughter.  Oh, there they are.  (Applause.)

It’s easy to think the way we do when everyone who you know and respect thinks the same way.  Chad, thank you for your generosity and your kind comments.  And, Attorney General Harris, you have always been there.  It’s never been a question for you.

And Congressman -- Mark?  Is Mark here?  I know he’s out there somewhere.  I believe he is.  Congressman, thank you for your great support.  And, Mr. Mayor, thank you for the passport to come back into the city.  (Applause.)  And, Ambassador David Heebner, I want to thank you as well. 

Chad, I want to thank you as well for the kind words about Jill’s advocacy.  Folks, if you had known how Jill felt about standing before and speaking before large crowds seven years ago, you would marvel that she stood up here.  (Applause.)  But she’s taking it in stride.  Jill has always been -- had a true north, a moral compass that no one has ever questioned, and she raised our three children and our five grandchildren -- she hasn’t raised them, but she has impacted them so that they really feel it in their bones that it’s all about fairness and equity, and never to settle for anything less.

It’s overused, but Harvey Milk said, “Hope will never be silent.”  And you have never, never been silent, nor have you ever lost hope -- even in some very, very difficult times.  It’s been a long struggle, and recently there’s been some real progress, but there’s so much left to do.

All of you spoke out and stepped up and came forward.  You came out and you marched.  You demanded to be recognized, demanded your constitutional rights, demanded a basic American Dream.  You demanded respect.

And because of what all of you have done, my granddaughter is going to grow up in a better country, a more just country, and a more fair country.  (Applause.)

And, folks, I know -- I know not like you -- but I know it wasn’t easy.  Many of you paid a personal and a professional price for stepping up and speaking out.  But your tenacity, your integrity and, yes, your physical courage and your pride bent the moral arc of this nation, and it’s finally moving in the right direction.

My mother used to have an expression, and I’m serious about this, she said, Joey, bravery resides in every heart, and the time will come when it will be summoned. 

Every one of you in this room stepped up.  Every one of you stepped up.  I’m astonished by the bravery that resides in the heart of each and every one of you in this room.  I’ve been going around the country for a long time, and campaigns and doing my business as Vice President, and I constantly am thanked and given a great deal more credit than I deserve.  My main purpose in being here tonight is to say thank you.  Thank all of you.  Your actions not only liberated millions, millions in the LGBT community, but here’s the point I don't think you fully understand, you liberated tens of millions of straight guys and straight women.  (Laughter and applause.)  No, no, you have.  You have.  (Applause.)

Those of you who are old enough -- those of you who are old enough, 20 years ago, if four guys were sitting in a restaurant and there was a gay waiter and as he left the table, one of them made fun of it, the other three would remain silent.  Not today.  You freed them.  (Applause.)  You freed them to speak up because now they know -- they know they're not the exception, they know they're the majority.  They know because of you.

And with regard to my being on “Meet the Press,” besides I told the President when he asked me to be Vice President two things:  I wasn’t going to wear any funny hats and I wasn’t changing my brand.  ((Laughter and applause.)  There was no way.  I’m too old, man.  I’m too old.  Seriously, seriously, just how could you remain silent any more.

I have had -- and I continue to have faith in the American people.  I believed five years ago, I believe today that they're so far ahead of the political leadership.  And when I spoke out, the great surprise, all of a sudden the polling data started rolling in and a majority -- an absolute majority of the American people agreed with what I said.  But it wasn’t because of what I said, it’s because of all the sacrifices all of you made.

It’s been the honor of my lifetime to work alongside of so many of you, and particularly to see what we’ve achieved in the last five years.  Together, as this has been mentioned already, we passed the Matthew Shephard Hate Crimes Prevention Act; repealed “don't ask, don't tell;” reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act with protections for services for the LGBT community; passed the Affordable Care Act so no one can be denied health care because of their sexual orientation or their gender identity.  (Applause.)

We argued the case along Edie Windsor in the high court of the land because we knew it was unconstitutional, simply wrong for the federal government to discriminate.  We filed a brief on Prop 8 because we believed the loving relationships you see in this room, and California, and my home state of Delaware, all around the nation cannot, should not be denied the freedom to marry.  It’s basic.  And we rejoiced -- we rejoiced as we saw that iconic picture of Kris and Sandra and Paul and Jeff joining hands in victory on the steps of the Supreme Court.  (Applause.)

But, folks, it’s a lot of progress in a relatively short time after this fight has begun, but guess what, there’s so much more to be done.  My grandkids, my children, and their kids are going to be shocked -- it shocks the conscience that at this very moment in American history, in some states, an employer can fire you just because of who you are or who you love.  It’s close to barbaric.  I mean think about this -- no, I really mean this, imagine, imagine 20 years from now, as America looks back, and says, how in the hell could that have ever been allowed?  (Applause.)  The country has moved on.  The American people have moved on.  It’s time for their Congress to move on and pass ENDA, pass ENDA now -- not tomorrow, now.  (Applause.) 

If you think about it, it’s outrageous we’re even debating this sucker.  I really mean it.  It’s almost beyond belief that today in 2014, I could say to you, because you’re employee in so many states, you’re fired because of who you love?  I mean think about that.  It is bizarre.  No, no, no, it really is.  It really is.  I don't even think most Americans even know that employers can do that.

And so, folks, look, I was raised by a truly gracious and decent man.  He taught me and my sister and my two brothers that -- a simple truth, that every single person in the world is entitled to be treated with dignity and respect.  And he taught us by his example, not by his lectures.

I can remember I was a junior in high school, and he was driving me into the city.  I lived in the suburbs, the city in Wilmington to apply for a job as a lifeguard in the city swimming pools.  And -- I was a pretty good lifeguard.  (Laughter.)   Matter of fact, when I ran for the United States Senate, they said, all Biden has ever been is a lifeguard.  (Laughter.)  I was 29.  But any rate, it was close to true.  (Laughter.)

But I’ll never forget it, he pulled up in front of the city courthouse where we went and made the application.  And he didn't want to park, he was dropping me off.  And we stopped at a red light.  When I looked over to my left, and there were two men kissing good-bye, and I looked, and it was the first time I’d seen that.  And my father looked at me and said, they love each other.  That's the end.  That's the end.  (Applause.)

But my point is because of you so many Americans have been freed.  Dignity and respect has to remain our North Star.  But as far as we still need to go, the rest of the world has so much further to go.

As you probably know I spend an awful lot of time traveling in foreign countries.  I’ve had the privilege of literally meeting every major head of state in the last 40 years because of the nature of my job in the Senate.  And I’ve traveled to most countries in the world, and I can tell you, they're looking to us as an example, as a champion of LGBT rights everywhere.  In almost 80 countries today, it’s a crime.  More than half -- almost more than half the countries in the U.N., it’s a crime to be gay.  It’s a crime.  In seven countries, it’s punishable by death.  And in many more places, LGBT people face violence, harassment, unequal treatment in the courts, mistreatment by the police, denial of health care, social isolation, always in the name of culture. 

Well, ladies and gentlemen, the world God willing is beginning to change.  To paraphrase Pope Francis of all things, (laughter) -- but think about this, think about what he said, one sentence he uttered, to paraphrase him, who are we to judge?  Who are they to judge you or me?  (Applause.)

In Nigeria, even supporting LGBT organizations can land you in prison for a decade.  Closer to home, in Jamaica, we hear corrective rape for lesbian women.  The world was outraged when we found out about genital mutilation that takes place in some African countries.  Corrective rape?  What in God’s name are we talking about?  How can a country that speaks in those terms be remotely considered to be a civil society?  (Applause.)

In June, the Russian government banned the dissemination of so-called propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations to young people.  And by the way, as the great Soviet dissident, Andrei Sakharov said, “A country that does not respect the rights of its citizens will not respect the rights of its neighbors.”  And we’re seeing that today.  We’re seeing that today in Ukraine.  (Applause.) 

Find me a country in the world that singles out a set of citizens, and I’ll guarantee you that country is where justice does not live.

Ladies and gentlemen, this week I met with a remarkable group of activists in the so-called Roosevelt Room in the West Wing, from all around the world, about eight of them.  They had one thing in common:  courage.  Many of them were taking incredible physical and personal risks in order to fight for the basic human rights, the rights of others.  One activist from India, a woman named Geethaw spoke of the importance of “street-to-street” connections between local LGBT organizations in different countries. 

Another young woman, working in Uganda, Wanja -- Uganda, a nation where you can go to prison for life for so-called aggravated homosexuality whatever the hell that is.  (Laughter.)  Aggravated homosexuality?  Whoa.  There are some sick people in the world.  (Laughter and applause.) 

But here’s what she said, she said, the LGBT community has been chosen in her country as pawns in the question of, where do we look West, or do we look East?  And she went on to say it shouldn’t be either East or West, it’s a basic human right.  (Applause.)

Well, ladies and gentlemen, let’s think about it in basic terms.  And I know you know it, but sometimes even you forget it, the single most basic of all human rights is the right to decide who you love.  It’s the single basic building block.  It is.  It’s the single most important human right that exists. 

And hate can never, never be defended because it’s a so-called cultural norm.  I’ve had it up to here with cultural norms.  (Applause.)  I really mean that.  A cultural norm, if it’s sick, it’s sick.  It’s simple.  There’s never a justification for a government or an individual politician to play up the bigotry and hatred.

A friend of mine who I’ve gotten to know years ago, Archbishop Desmond Tutu spoke out against what he called “a wave of hate” sweeping across his beloved continent against LGBT people.  He said, “Politicians who profit from exploiting this hate are fanning it.  They must not be tempted by the easy way to profit from fear and misunderstanding.”

And we have a simple obligation:  when it occurs, where it occurs, as individuals and as a government, we must speak up, speak out and do everything we can to confront it.

America’s strength, and I know you’re tired of hearing me say this the last six years, but America’s strength -- I really mean this -- does not lie in the exercise of its power.  It does not lie there.  It exercises -- it lies in the exercise of its values.  In every aspect of American foreign policy, we should have as the focus in our foreign policy that we lead not merely by the example of our power, but by the power of our example.  That's what makes us different.  That's what makes us strong.  I really mean that.  (Applause.)

Look, I don't want this just to be a rah-rah speech here.  I mean what I say, it’s clear we have a long road to travel to change hearts and minds and laws all around the world.  But we’re beginning to do it.  We’re beginning to do it.

I want to talk to you about what the President and I are doing to help us get there.  Barack and I believe that the rights of LGBT people is an inseparable part of America’s promotion of human rights around the world.  No, no, no, it really -- it cannot, is not distinguishable.  It’s a false distinction made in the past.  The first and most important thing this administration has done is to use the bully pulpit of the most powerful nation on Earth to stand up in defense of LGBT rights around the world.  It means speaking up against the criminalization of LBGT status or conduct, as President Obama has ordered all agencies working overseas to do.

It means our annual State Department report on human rights now speaks out by name -- naming countries that mistreat LGBT people.  It is consequential.

It means providing training and tools to our diplomats around the world so that they can integrate LGBT rights into how we do American foreign policy in the 21st century.  And by the way, five of these missions are now run by openly gay ambassadors.  (Applause.)

The second thing we’re doing and are going to continue to do is use foreign assistance to protect LGBT rights.  We’ve set up and contributed to a global equity fund which is working in over 50 countries to support unbelievably brave LGBT activists working on the ground, around the world often in unimaginably difficult and dangerous circumstances.

Thirdly, we offer emergency support to LGBT people in danger, including refugee status and asylum-seekers fleeing persecution. 

Fourth, we’re building as broad a coalition, as broad as we can.  We’re working with partners like Albania, which just added protections against hate crimes for sexual orientation and gender identity -- Albania.  Nepal -- Nepal, which is taking steps to recognize transgender citizens; Mongolia, which just held its first pride week last September.  (Applause.)  And Russia calls these countries backward?

We’re working with countries like Argentina, Brazil, France, Norway, Sweden and Mexico, as well on UN Human Rights Council, the World Bank, regional bodies like the Organization of American States and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

We’re working with businesses who can vote with their capital for those economies that respect the rights of LGBT employees.  We’re supporting organizations such as the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center, which is working with grassroots advocates -- (applause) -- you all are working with grass-roots advocates all across China to help them start their own community organizations.

And we’re excited to work with you -— the Human Rights Campaign -— through your new Global Engagement Program, to which you take the same passion and remarkable courage you’ve brought to fighting for LGBT rights in this country to help people around the world. 

And, folks, we’re in the early days of a long, long fight.  But you should never underestimate the epiphanies that follow a culture that makes a breakthrough of conscience.  And that's what you helped start here.

As we used to say in the Senate, I’d like to make in closing a point of personal privilege.  I want to thank Chad for being the person he is.  (Applause.)  Now, let me explain what I mean by that.  You all know him.  He’s a good man.  But let me explain what I mean.  It was April of 2012.  I was campaigning for Democratic candidates around the country, and I was here in Los Angeles with leaders of the LGBT community of Southern California at the home of Michael Lombardo and Sonny Ward, and a young man, who was standing against the wall in the living room as I was answering questions, that young man was Chad.  And Chad asked me one of the most sincere and plaintive questions I’ve ever been asked in my political career, particularly on this issue.  He looked at me and just asked a simple question.  He said, Mr. Vice President, what do you think of me?  A simple, straightforward question:  What do you think -- I’d never meet him before.  What he was saying was, what do you think of me, I am a homosexual.  What do you think of me?

No one ever asked me that question before, and it made me sad to think that anyone -- any of you in this audience, any of my acquaintances, my friends, my employees who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender have to go through any part of your life looking at people who don't know you and wondering, what do they think of me.  What do you think of me?  What a profound question.

And all I could think of was, if all Americans understood that there are people with different sexual orientations in every walk of life, every sector of America, every nook and cranny of this country, and that you are no different.  You are us.  We are one.  And all I could think to say to Chad -- it was spontaneous was -- I wish every American could have been in the kitchen.  They always take me in through kitchens.  (Laughter.)  You think I’m kidding, I’m not.

I walked into Michael and Sonny’s home through the kitchen.  They were standing there, and their two beautiful, young children -- five and seven -- were standing between their parents.  And the first thing I did, the little girl put her arms out -- actually the little boy did first, so I bent down, crouched and gave them a big hug.  And we talked a little bit before I even said hi to Sonny who was standing at my right.  And after a few minutes, the little girl turned to her father and said, Daddy, is it okay if the Vice President comes out in the backyard and plays with me and you speak?  (Laughter.)  I swear to God.  By the way, I like kids better than people.  (Laughter.)

And all I could think of was, I mean this sincerely, folks, if every American could have just been there and seen the love these kids had for their parents, just seen how normal it all was in the perverted notion some people have, they wouldn’t have any doubt about what the right policy is, what the right thing to do.  And it reinforced in me the certitude that the only way to prevail is to continue to step up and speak out because we are all one.  People fear that which they do not know.  And you all continue to do that. 

That's why things are changing.  Not because of Barack Obama or Joe Biden, but because of you.  It’s powerful.  It’s powerful.

So I mean what I said at the front end, thank you for not only liberating people who have been persecuted and pummeled, but thank you for getting us in the way of liberating all of America.  It’s a fight we will win.  I don't have a single, solitary doubt in my mind.  I am absolutely confident my grandchildren’s generation has already moved and will continue to move far beyond the prejudice of the past and of today.  That's why I’m so confident that the future is only going to get better.

Just as some of you heard me say through the campaign, I will fight to ensure that my four granddaughters have every single, solitary opportunity I mean without exception that my grandsons have, and as long as I have a breath in me, I will not be satisfied till everyone in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender community is afforded the dignity, the freedom and the equality that my father spoke so clearly of because that's the only way.  Only when you do that will we be a whole nation.  Only when you do that will we be a whole nation.  (Applause.)

God bless you all, God bless your families, and my God protect our troops.  (Applause.)  Thank you for what you do.  Thank you.  (Applause.)

                                      END                          8:14 P.M. PDT

 

Remarks by the First Lady in Video Conference with Students at Peking University and Stanford University in California

Stanford Center at Peking University Beijing, China

11:57 A.M. CST

DR. CUELLAR  Well, we’re joined by somebody who also happens to be interested in this discussion.  (Laughter.)  And just to give you a little background, you walked in during the most important part of the discussion, which is when they give me advice. 

MRS. OBAMA:  Oh, well I caught the tail end of it, so -- sound advice.

DR. CUELLAR:  I was explaining that I have a daughter and a son; I’m trying to teach them Spanish, and sometimes they will resist.  And I’m getting good advice.

MRS. OBAMA:  How old are they?

DR. CUELLAR:  They’re seven and nine.

MRS. OBAMA:  Oh, well, they will resist everything.  (Laughter.)  Coming from you, they’re going to resist it.

DR. CUELLAR:  I wonder if we could ask Wang (ph) maybe to summarize the discussion up to now, and then we can take it from there.

Q    Yes, sure.  Well, First Lady, I’m Ting Yu (ph) from the School of Foreign Languages.  My major is madrigal literature.  So what we have been -- discussed about is how learning a new language is important for different individuals, as well as for a community or a country.  And also, how we struggle during this process, and also, how study abroad benefits our different individuals and also our country and our people who are supportive, behind us.

MRS. OBAMA:  Absolutely.

DR. CUELLAR:  And I would simply add that many of the students were expressing appreciation for the attention you’re bringing to this issue.  And I wonder if you want to say anything more about it.

MRS. OBAMA:  Well, first of all, hello, California.  Is that where you guys are?  Are you in California?  Hi!  I hear you just finished midterms, is that correct?

STUDENTS:  Finals.

MRS. OBAMA:  Finals.  (Laughter.)  So they all -- finals!  So this is the last thing you’re going to do before you go out and party, right?  (Laughter.) 

Well, I am excited to be a part of this discussion not just because of the issue of trying to get more young people around the world to consider traveling outside of their comfort zones, and learning new cultures, but the format that we have here is incredibly unique.  It highlights just the importance that the role of technology plays in opening up communities and cultures to one another.

This conversation right here, where we have students in Beijing talking to students at -- in California, this is what’s possible.  But, as I said in my speech, one of the things I worry about is making sure that these types of opportunities -- studying abroad, quite frankly, going to college, period -- are not just limited to kids based on class or where they great up or who their parents were. 

Because it’s so important for the world to have access to the energy and insight of all of the people, not just folks who come from privilege.  So this opportunity I hope will just shed a light on how possible this work is.  Because when a young person sees themselves in you, they will understand that it perhaps is possible for them.

So I appreciate you guys taking the time and participating in this dialogue.  And I’m going to do a lot of listening and probably jumping in and making comments.  But I want to hear from you guys.

DR. CUELLAR:  Great.  Thank you very much.  And one of the questions that comes up perhaps, as we talk about our own experiences, deciding to study other cultures, deciding to study abroad, is how each of us navigated the bureaucracy, the question of how you make time in your calendar, how you justify it to yourselves and others -- to your parents, even -- who may not understand why you’re taking off to go across the world. 

So I wonder if maybe I could hear from the middle row here any experiences that you had specifically in arranging your opportunity to study abroad. 

Q    Well, I’ve studied in France, and obviously China, and my parents were kind of against both of them because it’s not really pertinent to my major; I’m not studying language, I’m studying chemical engineering.  But I found that going to other countries and learning how other students learn engineering and science has been really, really helpful in connecting to what I’ve learned at Carnegie Mellon.

DR. CUELLAR:  That’s terrific.  Let me ask Palo Alto, in the front row perhaps, do you have people in mind that maybe inspired you or encouraged you, or told you to overcome barriers and say, it makes sense for you to go, even if maybe you had hesitations about it?  People who were especially influential in the decision?  Right here, striped shirt.

Q    Me?  (Laughter.)  I have a wonderful mentor here at the Stanford Medical School.  I’m a high school student, but I intern at one of the labs.  And my mentor actually traveled a lot to the Philippines; he’s Philippino, first generation, and he went there for a few years.  He lived in -- and he told me about his worldly experiences and how he has been inspired through his experience in the Philippines to go to Medicine and eventually return to help his roots.  And I’m from Mexico; right now I don’t think Mexico is in the best situation from where my parents are from, but I have been inspired by him and learning from him.  And I want to travel eventually to Mexico when it’s safer for me. 

DR. CUELLAR:  Good for you.  And how did you meet this mentor?  How did you make that initial connection?

Q    I applied to a summer program here at Stanford called Summer At -- don’t remember what the acronym stands for, but I was matched through this program, and I was matched with him as a mentor.

DR. CUELLAR:  That’s terrific.  It’s useful for us to hear this, because when we design these programs, we don’t always know if they’re going to work or how those connections are going to be facilitated. 

Back here, yes.

Q    Well, actually, I’m a student majoring in languages.  And my major is Portuguese and Spanish, and actually, after I graduate, I want to further my study in Brazil.  When I told my dad, actually I was a little bit afraid because, as you know, Brazil, as a country, can be a little bit dangerous.  But my dad told me, don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid of anything, Brazil is a wonderful country.  And now, the -- no more states can survive individually.  The states can only be survived under collaboration and partnership.

So I still have faith that I will further -- and start my own business in Brazil.  And actually, just like Mrs. Obama said in her speech, actually why we are sitting here is because that we as future leaders for the world have a responsibility to bridge between states.  And there is still a Chinese concept in the Chinese culture called -- that is, great harmony in different words, in different backgrounds of cultures. 

So I think maybe starting -- is like a bridge.  And that’s beyond ourselves.  We can do it better.  Thank you.

DR. CUELLAR:  And it’s important to remember that sometimes the support that we need we can find in our own families.  Sometimes we help them see it, sometimes they help us see it.

Q    Can I talk something about my motivation to -- international exchange?  Actually, now, I’m a graduate student in Peking U from the School of International Studies.  And actually I will continue my study one year later in Arizona -- it’s a hot place, right? 

MRS. OBAMA:  Yes.  (Laughter.) 

Q    The Thunderbird School of Global Management.  For me, I prefer to -- the relationship -- the commerce relationship between -- and the future.  So in this program, I think I cannot only learn about the language, the American cultures, but also I can take some courses on this field.  So in this way, I cannot promote myself on this field, but also, what is most important I think is to learn -- to understand -- to make a better understanding on the United States culture and people.  And I think it’s really important for people, especially young generation, to have some time to go abroad, to live and study there so in this way they can build a deeper understanding with each other.

MRS. OBAMA:  Excellent.  And one thing that you pointed out that I think it’s important to consider is not letting fear be your guide.  And that’s oftentimes what holds many young people back from doing fabulous things.

Let’s take my husband, for example.  He has dragged me kicking and screaming into things that I wanted no parts of.  (Laughter.)  And a lot of it was because of fear -- the fear of making mistakes, the fear of not knowing, the fear of uncertainty, the fear of leaving your comfort zone. 

And we’re living in a world where we can no longer afford to let fear keep us apart, because the truth -- what I have learned, coming from the background I come from -- I grew up in a little apartment on the South Side of Chicago.  My parents didn’t get a chance to go to college, but they poured everything they had into me.  And no one could have envisioned that a kid like me would be sitting here, having given a speech at Peking University as the First Lady of the United States. 

But easily, fear could have blocked me at every turn.  So I want all of the young people around the world to operate with the freedom that we have all fought for -- the freedom to explore the world, to learn about new cultures, to try hard things, to make mistakes.  And I know parents want you to be perfect because we want you to be safe -- (laughter) -- but life is about making mistakes, and maybe saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, and learning that you recover from even some of your worst mistakes, so that that fear doesn’t keep you from being as excellent as you can be.

And that’s what I think study abroad -- it’s that first step of leaving your country, speaking another language, having it come out of your voice, your lips, and having someone here actually understand you.  And you think, well, that wasn’t that bad.

So I want you -- first of all, I just want to applaud you all for being that brave, and for being a role model to other young people of what the world needs in you as leaders.  So don’t be afraid.  Start with your parents.

DR. CUELLAR:  Let me ask you, picking up where the First Lady left off, what advice would you have to somebody who is trying to decide whether to study abroad?

Q    Well, I would think -- personally, I’m a law student, and I would say that -- you have to start with very good academic environment, for student like us, because -- last semester, I’ve just been to the Columbia Law School as an exchange student, and I saw how -- experienced the Socratic Method that they use in law school --

MRS. OBAMA:  Oh, yeah.  (Laughter.)

DR. CUELLAR:  That’s why I called on you. 

Q    -- give experience to have -- been exposed to the new culture when everyone was so aggressive.  And maybe that’s a little bit different from our culture, but that helps improve from different aspects.  And I think that will improve our way of -- life.  Thank you.

MRS. OBAMA:  Let me just ask, how did you deal with the Socratic Method?  (Laughter.) 

Q    Well, at first it was a little bit too difficult for me, but I think I gradually got used to that later.  And I think the most important thing is to do our homework beforehand.  (Laughter.)

DR. CUELLAR:  Radical idea.  Jamal (ph), what advice would you have? 

Q    Can I touch on something that Mrs. Obama spoke about a little earlier?  About fear and -- something that you spoke about that really resonated with me is that I came from a background -- my great-grandmother, who is 92 next week -- great-grandmother -- she raised a bunch of kids and many of them went different ways.  And I was one that -- though I made it through Stuyvesant High School in New York City, I failed out.  And I have spent a lot of time out, and I had to -- I was the first person in my family to go to college.  And it was scary; it was one of the biggest, most frightening things that I ever did. 

And as I kept moving forward, all these things came to me and they were all frightening, but I threw myself into it.  I had the support of my great-grandmother, I had the support of other people at my school, and it kept pushing me forward, pushing me forward, pushing me forward. 

And so when I had this opportunity -- the year before, I had throat cancer, thyroid cancer.  And so I spent a year not working, I was pretty much in -- I had no money, I was just poor -- I was beyond poor.  And so getting the Fulbright was amazing, but I was afraid, because I didn’t have the money to afford the flight, because you have to pay for it up front, and -- just to get here.  And then to have to deal with my particular affliction, perhaps if it like were to come back while I was here. 

But my great-grandmother told me, baby, listen -- (laughter) --

MRS. OBAMA:  That’s how our great-grandmothers talk. 

DR. CUELLAR:  The Socratic Method.

Q    -- you have one life to live, and if you don’t live it no one else will for you.  And she told me that if I didn’t do this, this could be the thing that -- even if I were only three months left in this world, if I didn’t do it I would hurt and wonder what could be.

So do not give up the chance and -- put yourself in here.  And it’s been frightening, as I was explaining to people earlier -- my language was very poor, being here is very, very difficult when you don’t have the language.  But if I had to do it like a billion times again, I would do it the same way.  I would come because it is important for us to do it.

So no matter what age, it’s important for us to do these things regardless of fright.  (Applause.) 

MRS. OBAMA:  Yes, yes. 

DR. CUELLAR:  I think the conversation reminds us that sometimes getting this to happen means overcoming our own challenges.  But I also want to turn the attention to the question of how our societies and our organizations and our governments can support this kind of work, and I wonder if -- we’ll start with the middle row in Palo Alto, what thoughts you might have as we think about our schools -- our K-12 education, our colleges -- that might encourage people to study other cultures.

Somebody smile.

MRS. OBAMA:  The Socratic Method is coming, it’s coming.  (Laughter.)  He’s going to call on you.

DR. CUELLAR:  May I call on the lady with the glasses next to the gentleman with the white shirt in the middle row?  That’s absolutely right.  You smiled.  (Laughter.) 

Q    So I think -- so I’m a senior in high school, and I would say that for me personally, like, coming from the background where -- I have a single mother, she emigrated here so she doesn’t know much about traveling.  And I got involved in a community service program, and it encourage me to travel abroad and do community service, and so that’s when I first stepped out of my comfort zone and was like, wow, like, I’m here by myself but I’m connecting with these people and -- like, speaking Spanish was an advantage because I was able to connect with them better.  But that was the very first time where I started connecting with people abroad, and I felt very connected to them.  And even to this day, we still connect over the Internet. 

And I personally encourage people all over my school to join programs like that, but from what I know in my school we kind of emphasize that a lot.  And so I know from my community a lot of people plan to study abroad because you can just obtain so much more perspective on the ways you view life, whether you’re studying science or law or whatever it is, studying abroad does give you perspectives specifically on -- studies. 

DR. CUELLAR:  Thank you.  Over here, back --

Q    Yes.  I’m a doctorate student from Peking University and majoring in comparative politics.  And I want to share a story which I experienced last -- in the year 2012 when I was living in Harvard.

And the program was -- the education and -- and before I came to the United States, I even hardly heard about what is -- entrepreneurship -- how -- entrepreneurship can play a part in education.  And we visited the organization called Primary Source.  It was a set by a retired teacher.  He recognized the problem that the students are more diversity in a classroom, especially in high school, and that teachers are not well prepared to deal with the students.  So when she retired, she set up this organization to connect -- primary source, meaning books, documents and videos, from all countries and trained the high school teachers.  And also they invited professors from Harvard, MIT, Boston University to train these teachers to make them prepared for the students.

So I think this is very important for the social organization to take a part in this place. 

DR. CUELLAR:  Terrific.  That’s very helpful.

Q    My comment actually connects to Tsio’s (ph) point.  We’ve talked a lot about the technology, these amazing technological advances that allow things like this, which is just incredible, and also about travel and study abroad and all of these things.  But there are a lot of barriers to those.

And I’m going to sound really old fashioned -- (laughter) -- but I’m a literary translator, and I think one of the most important things we can do is to give our children and our adults, give everybody, books coming from other cultures -- not just written about other cultures, but actually translated from other languages into English, giving a completely different perspective, a different side of the conversation.

And it’s something you can get for free in your own home, and it’s an incredible basis I think for everything that comes after.

DR. CUELLAR:  So if you could pick one book that you would recommend along those lines, what would it be?  (Laughter.) 

MRS. OBAMA:  You’re tough.

Q    So this is also going to sound non-mainstream -- so I translate primarily poetry.  And I think there are some amazing poets working today in China, in particular some very important women poets.  One in particular, whom I happen to work with, called Juang San Lee (ph.)  She’s an incredible -- she has an amazing eye for the social climate here in China, of the issues that are going on with migrant workers, people in the countryside, this incredible economic disparity that’s happening in China right now.  And she addresses it in really beautiful language and in wonderfully rich metaphors. 

So I would say -- Google her, Juan Sang Lee (ph.)  You can find her stuff on the Internet.

DR. CUELLAR:  When you mention translation, I started thinking not only about texts being translated but also about the acts of translation that occur in everyday interactions that people studying abroad have.  In the personal relationships -- so I wonder if somebody would like to speak to those personal relationships and how they work.

Q    I’d like to promote the government to support -- as Mrs. Obama already said, the language is the most important -- in cultural exchange.  I’d like to promote the institute -- the Confucius Institute to advocate the learning of Chinese.  And I’m a law school student but I’m also pursuing a double major in Chinese literature, so I’d like to later work for the Confucius Institute to tell little kids about Chinese and Chinese culture as well.

DR. CUELLAR:  Excellent.  Do we have any other though in California, perhaps, about personal relationships and how they play into your experience studying abroad?  Friendships -- yes, right here in the front row.  Blue shirt.

Q    So I studied abroad in Oxford a couple of years ago, and I think for me, I didn’t go in with a whole lot of expectations of there being an enormous difference, because everybody there also spoke English.  But I think what really struck me was the fact that all of us are grappling with similar questions, but we deal with them in very different ways.  And so to be able to engage with people in Oxford, students at Oxford on these same issues but see their perspectives, and have these intimate conversations about mundane things but see that we actually think in different ways because of how we’ve been brought up was really very eye-opening for me and something that I reflect on.

DR. CUELLAR:  Thank you.  Other thoughts?  Back here.

Q    Talking personally about personal relationships -- for learning Chinese, for learning about cultures, there’s nothing better.  I know for a fact that most of my Chinese, in the five years I’ve been here, has been learned from friends or from people I’ve met on the street or from just anyone.  It’s something that you can’t miss out on, personal interactions.

DR. CUELLAR:  And I want to bring this back for just a moment to the theme about overcoming fear, too.  Because when people have not experienced this, it may not be so obvious to them, but people around them, once they go to the different country, even people on the street might become allies in trying to understand the culture and learning the language.

Q    Yes, just -- I’m thinking of just knowing how to push yourself beyond your comfort zone.  You just never know what doors are going to open for you.  I did a program back in 2009 called APSA, Americans Promoting Study Abroad.  (Laughter.)  I was able to visit the U.S. Embassy there, and so since then, just knowing the presence that the U.S. government had in China, I’ve studied abroad twice since then and now I’m interning with the U.S. Consulate General, the Department of Commercial Service. 

So just knowing what connections you can make and going beyond your comfort zone, I think those are the best personal connections.

DR. CUELLAR:  Terrific.

Q    Well, I just think it’s important to highlight that -- overcoming fear, I mean -- I think it’s imperative for the American educational system to really provide the tools and confidence in students and the youth of America to become global citizens, and to really strive towards making more of a global community and making those connections.  And I’m on a program with Cameron (ph) also; I’m a high school student with -- through the Department of State.  And so I think -- I mean, a lot of students don’t really know that they have these opportunities. 

We have nine students total here studying at a high school, and we come from all over the country with different backgrounds.  And I think not many people know -- when I started -- when I told people I was coming here, people were very surprised.  (Laughter.)  They asked a lot of questions, and I think -- it’s very -- it’s opened so many doors for me and my fellow students, and it’s just an amazing opportunity and -- so many different ways.

DR. CUELLAR:  And I want to underscore this point about getting information out.  Even when the opportunity is there --

MRS. OBAMA:  That’s what -- I was going to say that, right.

DR. CUELLAR:  We find that Stanford has an extraordinary array of opportunities to get people to study abroad.  And we find that even people get to their junior year and they don’t know about them sometimes.

Q    This program is absolutely wonderful.

Q    Speaking of the personal relationship in the process of learning and -- as a cultural, I think -- I was actually part of the student ambassador program of the Stanford Center in 2012.  And we actually met -- I actually met some Stanford students, and we actually have a -- group now, which -- every day to update.  Actually, there are some, like -- because one of them is now working for Google and the other one is now in Africa working for the sustainable development. 

So I think keeping touch is quite important during the process of the inter-culture communication, because you have to form a long-term relationship with these guys.  And you are the leaders of the future, so how can we -- how can not -- why not just keep in touch and be -- probably shake your hands in the United Nations in the future. 

MRS. OBAMA:  That’s right.

DR. CUELLAR:  That’s terrific.  And your comments -- she reminds us that technology can be an enabler, but also, maybe even more so, once those personal relationships are begun.  And that requires something more than technology by itself. 

MRS. OBAMA:  Well, and what you point out is that you all are the greatest ambassadors.  People who -- young adults, young people, however old you are -- I don’t know how old you guys are -- (laughter) -- you’re all younger than me.  (Laughter.) 

DR. CUELLAR:  Adults, but young.

MRS. OBAMA:  That’s right.  But you all are the best voices for this because you’ve overcome your fears.  You’ve done the legwork.  You’ve experienced this in ways that so many young people around the world will just never have the opportunity.  And other young people listen to you more than they listen to old folks like me and Tino over here. 

So I hope that you feel like you have a responsibility that once you complete this work, that you use whatever avenues you have to spread the word and be that mentor that you found, to bring others along.

And one thing that we need to talk more about, particularly in the United States, is the expansion of language.  That’s just -- we’re sort of good at English.  (Laughter.)  But too few young people in the United States have exposure to other languages, and I was one of those kids.  And now, I don’t have a good ear for it.  And I know that’s something that my husband regrets -- he regrets that he didn’t stick with the guitar -- (laughter) -- and he regrets that he didn’t fully learn another language.

But we have to talk about that more in the United States.  It’s something that’s not anti-American, but it’s important to live in a global world.  And we’ve got to equip our kids with the tools to be able to succeed. 

Before coming here, I visited a school in Washington, D.C., the Yu Ying School, where -- it’s a charter school that’s focused on Chinese education.  And kids as young as three are taught by Chinese teachers, they’re learning Mandarin.  And it was amazing to walk into a predominantly minority community in Washington, D.C. and go into a third-grade class where the kids had fabulous accents, and they were answering questions, and they were correcting my pronunciation.  (Laughter.)  But it really warmed my heart to know we are giving these kids, just through language, such a unique head start.

But then I think, well, then there’s so many kids who don’t have this.  And that’s something that we have to talk more about, and we have to find the resources.  And we have to engage our private sector as well to understand, if they’re going to have the employees of the future who can operate in a global environment, then we have to start investing in them at a very early age -- as early as three and four years old.  And that’s going to take resources.

DR. CUELLAR:  Very sadly, our time for this conversation is drawing to a close.  I know we could continue for many hours, so I would like to ask somebody who is as far away from me as we have anybody in this conversation -- which I think is the back row in Palo Alto -- to maybe say a few words of reflection as we draw the conversation to a close?

Yes, right over there.

Q    So I’m a PhD student in the Department of Political Science studying with (inaudible.)  I study the -- economy of China.  One of the things I learned -- I also study international relations -- but one of the things I learned over the course of when I studied here in the United States is that -- I talked to my professors and classmates about international relations of the time, and we have all sorts of fancy models about why crises in international relations exists. 

But at the end of the day, all conversations boil down to lack of understanding -- lack of understanding each other’s preferences, lack of understanding each other’s information.  So I think this conversation today really speaks to the need of having more and deeper conversation between China and the United States, and among all countries in the world.

DR. CUELLAR:  Thank you very much.  And I would just say, on that particular note, building that understanding doesn’t just help us avoid crises, but probably helps us understand ourselves better as well. 

MRS. OBAMA:  Well said.  

DR. CUELLAR:  Thank you.  Well, thank you very much, everybody.

MRS. OBAMA:  Thank you.  (Applause.) 

END                 12:25 P.M. CST

Remarks by the First Lady Michelle Obama and President Xi Jinping of China

Diaoyutai Guest Houses
Beijing, China

6:07 P.M. CST

PRESIDENT XI:  (As interpreted.)  Mrs. Michelle Obama, may I start by extending my warm welcome to you, to your mother, Mrs. Robinson, and your two lovely daughters, Malia and Sasha.

In June last year at Annenberg Estate, during my meeting with your husband, President Obama, we decided that the Chinese side will invite you to China.  And the other day when I was speaking to him on the phone, we mentioned this again.  And it’s such a great pleasure to see you in person today.

I cherish my sound working relationship and personal friendship I have already established with your husband, and we stay in close touch through meetings, phone conversations and correspondence.  I look forward to meeting with him again at the Nuclear Security Summit to be held in the Hague in a couple of days’ time, and I also look forward to receiving him in China in November when he visits China and attends the APEC Economic Leaders meeting.  I also hope very much that you will be traveling with him at that time.   

China-U.S. bilateral relationship matters very much to both of our countries and to the world.  I am confident that with the concerted efforts of the two sides, the China-U.S. relationship will keep moving forward towards our shared goal of building a new model of major country relationships. 

I wish to thank the U.S. side for sending such a heavyweight ambassador to China.  I believe that he will receive his duty with great success, and he will inject new impetus to this bilateral relationship.

MRS. OBAMA:  Thank you so much.  Mr. President, Madame Peng, we are honored and thrilled to be here in China with you.  And we’re so grateful for the warmth and hospitality that you’ve shown me and my family.

We had a wonderful first day here in Beijing.  We had an opportunity to meet with students, I tried my hand at ping pong -- not so good.  (Laughter.)  And our visit to the Forbidden City is one that we will never forget.  Being able to see my mother, who doesn’t get to travel internationally often, walk through that ancient city, and to see her excitement and wonder is a moment that I will treasure forever.

I’m going to focus my visit on education, which is an important issue to both of our nations.  We’ve got to continue to highlight the importance of student exchange between our countries, and I’ll be speaking about that tomorrow. 

END
6:11 P.M. CST