Events

230TH Anniversary of the Independence of the United States of America

Ambassador Clark T. Randt, Jr.
Ambassador of the United States of America to China

Speech Presented to the Guests of the July 4th Celebration

China World Hotel,
Beijing, China
July 4, 2006
(Approximately 15 minutes)
 
THANK YOU, MR. BISHOP, 

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, VICE MINISTER YANG JIECHI, 

MINISTRY OF COMMERCE, VICE MINISTER MA XIUHONG,

 GENERAL ADMINISTRATION OF PRESS AND PUBLICATIONS, VICE MINISTER LIU BINJIE,
GEWEI LINGDAO REN

NYUSHIMEN, XIANSHENGMEN, PENGYOUMEN

DISTINGUISHED GUESTS AND FRIENDS REPRESENTING THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA,

YOUR EXCELLENCIES, FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES IN THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS,

HONORED GUESTS AND

MY FELLOW AMERICANS.

THE FAMOUS AMERICAN SONG WRITER SAMMY CAHN,

ONCE SAID,

“THE POPULAR SONG IS AMERICA’S GREATEST AMBASSADOR.”

WITH THAT

 YOU’LL GET NO QUARREL FROM ME.

AS YOU CAN SEE

AND HEAR

AROUND YOU THIS EVENING,

OUR INDEPENDENCE DAY THEME THIS YEAR IS THE GREAT AMERICAN MUSIC INDUSTRY.

I WANT TO THANK JOHN KENNEDY AND THE INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE PHONOGRAPHIC INDUSTRY

FOR THEIR GENEROUS SUPPORT FOR THIS EVENT.

AMONG OTHER THINGS, THEY HAVE PROVIDED THE POSTERS, SCREENS,  MUSIC VIDEOS AND KIOSKS THAT WE SEE AROUND US.

MY THANKS ALSO TO THE GREAT AMERICAN COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY AND TO LTI ASSOCIATES

WHO HAVE SUPPLIED THE LIVE MUSIC THIS EVENING FOR OUR ENTERTAINMENT.

FURTHERMORE,

PLEASE JOIN ME IN THANKING THE OUTSTANDING AMERICAN COMPANIES

REPRESENTED AT THE VARIOUS BOOTHS AND TABLES AROUND THE ROOM FOR THEIR GENEROUS SPONSORSHIP.

I HOPE THAT YOU WILL NOT ONLY ENJOY THEIR FINE PRODUCTS TODAY

BUT THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.   

I ALSO WANT TO GIVE SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR ADMINISTRATIVE MINISTER COUNSELOR,

JIM VANLANINGHAM,

SADLY, JIM WILL BE LEAVING US AT THE END OF THE MONTH FOR A NEW ASSIGNMENT.

JIM,

TOGETHER WITH OUR EMBASSY TEAM,

HAS WORKED HARD AND LONG TO BRING THIS EVENT TOGETHER.

*********

 TODAY,

WE GATHER TOGETHER TO CELEBRATE THE BIRTH OF OUR NATION

A SHORT 230 YEARS AGO. 

IN CREATING OUR NEW REPUBLIC,

OUR FOUNDING FATHERS WERE SO FOCUSED ON THE IMPORTANCE OF INNOVATION AND CREATIVITY

THAT THEY SAW FIT TO INCLUDE IN OUR ORIGINAL CONSTITUTION

A CLAUSE

DESIGNED TO PROTECT INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND ENCOURAGE THE SPARK OF CREATIVITY.

NO LESS AN AMERICAN STATESMAN THEN ABRAHAM LINCOLN

NOTED, THAT THE AMERICAN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SYSTEM

“ADDED THE FUEL OF INTEREST TO THE FIRE OF GENIUS,

IN THE DISCOVERY AND PRODUCTION OF NEW AND USEFUL THINGS.”

********

THIS HOSPITABLE ENVIRONMENT AND COMMITMENT TO PROTECT THE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OF,

 AMONG OTHERS, MUSICIANS AND COMPOSERS, THROUGH COPYRIGHT LAW,

LAID THE FOUNDATION FOR ONE OF AMERICA’S GREAT INDUSTRIES TO FLOURISH,

THE AMERICAN MUSIC INDUSTRY. 

UNFORTUNATLY, TODAY IN CHINA, MARKET RESTRICTIONS ON THE IMPORTATION OF LEGITIMATE PRODUCTS HAVE ABANDONED THE COMMERCIAL MUSIC MARKET TO PIRATES.

THIS IS NOT ONLY BAD FOR THE AMERICAN MUSIC INDUSTRY,

IT IS BAD FOR CHINA’S GROWING DOMESTIC MUSIC INDUSTRY.

********

AS IMMIGRANTS FLOCKED TO THE UNITED STATES FROM EVERY CONTINENT

THEY BROUGHT WITH THEM THE WEALTH OF THEIR OWN MUSICAL TRADITIONS

TO BE WOVEN INTO THE RICH TAPESTRY OF AMERICAN MUSIC. 

DURING THE SECOND HALF OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY

THE MUSIC INDUSTRY UNDERWENT A TREMENDOUS COMMERCIAL EXPANSION,

WHICH EXTENDED INTO THE TWENTIETH CENTURY AND INDEED CONTINUES TODAY.

INITIALLY,

SHEET MUSIC AND POCKET SONGSTERS WERE THE PRIMARY MEANS OF POPULARIZING SONGS.

BY THE 1880S,

THE MUSIC PUBLISHING INDUSTRY WAS INCREASINGLY CONCENTRATED IN NEW YORK CITY’S FAMOUS “TIN PAN ALLEY”.

AFTER THAT POINT,

HOWEVER,

SONGS ALSO CAME TO BE BOUGHT,

SOLD

AND PRESERVED IN A SUCCESSION OF NEW MEDIA

FROM PLAYER PIANOS TO VINYL RECORDS

TO MP3S IN THE LATE 1990S.

 MUSIC HAS INSPIRED AMERICANS SINCE THE FIRST SETTLERS ARRIVED IN NORTH AMERICA IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY.

MUSIC CAN GIVE TESTIMONY TO OUR FAITH,

IT OFFERS HOPE AND AN OUTLET FOR SORROW.

WHO HAS NOT DREAMT “THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM”,

TRIED TO DO IT “MY WAY”

OR DAYDREAMED ABOUT “MY GIRL”?

MUSIC HAS ALSO HISTORICALLY INSPIRED THOSE STRUGGLING FOR SOCIAL CHANGE IN AMERICA.

IT HAS BEEN THE VOICE OF PROTEST.

"WE SHALL OVERCOME,"

BECAME THE POWERFUL ANTHEM OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT.

MUSIC ALSO CELEBRATES AND HAS THE POWER TO MOVE.

AS AMERICANS GATHER TOGETHER IN THE UNITED STATES TODAY

NO HEART IS UNMOVED BY KATHARINE LEE BATES’S DEPICTION OF A BRAVE NEW WORLD SET TO SAMUEL WARD’S MUSIC IN
 
“AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL”…

“O BEAUTIFUL FOR SPACIOUS SKIES FOR AMBER WAVES OF GRAIN

FOR PURPLE MOUNTAINS MAJESTIES ABOVE THE FRUITED PLAINS…
********
AS THE AMERICAN POET HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW SAID,

“MUSIC IS THE UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE OF MANKIND.” 

MUSIC HAS THE POWER TO BRING TOGETHER PEOPLE FROM MANY DIFFERENT NATIONS AND CULTURES.

MUSIC COMMUNICATES ACROSS BORDERS.

IT ADDRESSES OUR GREAT AND GOOD COMMON HUMANITY.

**********

PLEASE JOIN ME IN AN INDEPENDENCE DAY TOAST. 

TO PRESIDENT HU AND TO PRESIDENT BUSH,

TO THE GREAT PEOPLES OF THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA AND OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 

MAY THE FUTURE BRING US DEEPER UNDERSTANDING

AND CONSTANTLY EXPANDING FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN OUR NATIONS AND PEOPLES.

THANK YOU FOR COMING AND PLEASE ENJOY YOURSELVES.