Preserves chinese unity. So we expect that were going to continue to consult in these areas. Even as we recognize tibet is part of the peoples republic of china, we continue to encourage chinese authorities to preserve the religious and cultural identity of the tibetan people and to engage the dalai lama. Finally, we launch a new initiative to boost tourism between our countries in the coming months. Just as children across china learn english, were starting a new initiative called one million strong, to encourage one million American Students to learn Mandarin Chinese over the next five years. Vice President Biden pointed out that two of his children are already on track, two of his grandchildren, actually. After all, if our countries are going to do more to it around the world, then speaking each others language, truly understanding each other, is a good place to start. So overall weve had an extremely productive meeting. The particular work that has been done by our teams shows the extraordinary progress we can make when were working together. The candid conversations between president xi and myself about areas of disagreement help us to understand each other better, to avoid misunderstandings and calculations. President xi, i want to thank you again for expanding your commitment to cooperation between our nations. I believe that its another reminder that as we work to narrow our differences, we can continue to advance our mutual interests for the benefit not only of our two peoples but for the benefit of the world. Thank you very much. Translator president obama, good friends from the press, ladies and gentlemen, good friends, good morning. Its great pleasure to meet with all of you together with president obama. Let me begin by thanking again president obama and the u. S. Government for the gracious hospitality and thoughtful arrangements and warm reception acorded to me and the chinese delegation. I want to thank the American People for the welcome. Yesterday and today president obama had indepth discussions about important topics including international and regional situations. Our meetings are constructive and productive, and we have reached extensive and important consensus. During the discussions, president obama shared with me the domestic agenda and Foreign Policy priorities that he has been working on. And i congratulated him on the progress that he has made in those areas. I appreciate president obamas reaffirmation to me that the United States welcomes the rise of a peaceful, stable, and prosperous china. It supports china to play a bigger role in the international arena. And the United States supports chinas reform and opening up. I indicated to president obama that china is making all around efforts to deepen comprehensive reform, to build lawbased governance, to enforce Strict Party Discipline so as to achieve the grand goal of building a society of prosperity in all respects. The reform and opening up of china will not stop. China is firmly committed to the path of Peaceful Development. It is committed to growing friendship and cooperative relations with all countries in the world. To work with the United States, to build the new model of intercountry relationship, without conflict, without confrontation, with Mutual Respect and winwin cooperation, is a priority in chinas Foreign Policy. We have spoken highly of the important progress made in china u. S. Relations since the summit in 2013. And we have agreed to follow the consensus, expand the practical cooperation in various areas at the bilateral, regional, and lower level, and manage differences and sensitive issues in a constructive manner. We have agreed to deepen the practical cooperation in various areas at the bilateral scope. This includes, we have agreed to vigorously push forward the bilateral investment treaty negotiation, speed up the pace of the work so as to achieve a High Standard and balanced agreement. We will expand mutually beneficial cooperation in energy, environmental protection, science and technology, aviation, infrastructure, agriculture, health, and other areas. The two governments and Relevant Agency have signed many cooperation agreements and our businesses have signed a series of commercial contracts. China and the United States are highly complementary economically. And there is huge potential for further cooperation. We have had indepth discussion on the Current International, economic, and financial situation. We have agreed to step up macroeconomic policy cooperation and jointly promote Economic Growth and financial stability. To this end we have established the mechanism on regular phone conversation on Economic Affairs between china and the United States which will be led by vice premier wong ya of china. They will stay in communication on global issues. We will also step up cooperation within g20 and other multilateral mechanisms. I appreciate the u. S. Supporting including the rmb into the imf special drawing rights when certain standards of the imf are met. And i also appreciate the u. S. Commitment to implement the imf quota and governance structure reform plan adopted at the g20 summit in 2010 at an early date. We have fully affirmed the new progress made in the confidencebuilding mechanisms between the two militaries. We have agreed to step up exchanges and policy dialogues between the two militaries at all levels, hold more joint exercises and training. We believe that terrorism is the common enemy of mankind. And we have agreed to step up multilateral and bilateral counterterrorism cooperation. We have decided to increase communication and cooperation on humanitarian assistance and peacekeeping operations, and also Law Enforcement cooperation to jointly fight against all kinds of corruption and crimes. We have indepth discussion on the asia pacific. We believe china and the United States have extensive common interests in this region and we should continue cooperation in Regional Affairs and Work Together to promote active interactions and inclusive cooperation in the asia pacific, and work with countries in the asia pacific to promote peace, stability, and prosperity in this region. China is committed to the path of Peaceful Development and a neighboring Foreign Policy characterized by good neighborliness and participate with our neighbors. Islands in the South China Sea since ancient times are chinas territory. We have the right to uphold our own territor sovereignty and lawful and legitimate maritime interests. We have a right to manage differences through dialogue and addressing disputes through negotiation, consultation, and peaceful manner, and exploring ways to achieve Mutual Benefit through cooperation. Were committed to respecting and upholding the freedom of navigation and overflight that countries enjoy according to international law. Relevant construction activities that china are undertaking in the islands of the south do not target or impact any country and china does not intend to pursue militarization. China and the United States have a lot of common interests. On the issue of South China Sea, we both support peace and stability of the South China Sea. The countries directly involved should address their disputes through negotiations, consultation, and peaceful means. And we support freedom of navigation and overflight of countries according to international law. And the management of differences through dialogue and full and effect i have implementation of d. O. C. And early conclusion of the consultation based on consensus building. We have agreed to maintain constructive communication on relevant issues. China and the United States are two major cyber countries and we should strength dialogue and cooperation. Confrontation and friction are not the right choice for both sides. During my visit, the competent authorities of both countries have reached important consensus on joint fight against cyber crimes. Both sides agreed to step up crime cases, investigation since, and information sharing. Both governments will not engage in or support online theft of intellectual properties. And we will explore the formulation of appropriate state behavior norms of the cyberspace. And we will establish a highly level joint dialogue mechanism. The fight against cyber crimes and related issues and to establish hotline links. Democracy and human rights are the common pursuit of mankind. At the same time, we must recognize that countries have different historical processes and realities, that we need to respect people of all countries rights to choose their own Development Path independently. The Chinese People are seeking to realize the great renewal of the chinese nation. This process in essence is a process to achieve social equity and justice and advancing human rights. China stands ready to, in the spirit of equality and Mutual Respect, conduct human rights dialogue with the United States, expand consensus, reduce differences, learn from each other, and progress together. We have decided to continue to Work Together to tackle global challenges and provide more public goods for the International Community. We again issued a joint announcement on Climate Change. We have agreed to expand practical cooperation, strengthen coordination in multilateral negotiation, and Work Together to push the paris Climate Change conference to produce important progress. We have signed china u. S. Development cooperation mou and we have agreed to expand trilateral cooperation in asia, africa and other regions in terms of food security, Public Health system establishment, emergency disaster response. And we will implement the post2015 development agenda, promote a more equitable and balanced Global Development partnership, and help developing countries to achieve common development. We have agreed to firmly uphold the International Nuclear nonproliferation regime. President obama and i welcome the comprehensive joint plan of action reached by relevant parties regarding the Iranian Nuclear issue. We reaffirm that all relevant parties should undertake to implement the agreement fully and Work Together to implement all Relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions. We reaffirm our commitment to realize the complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful way. And we oppose any action that might cause tension in the korean pen insula or violate th u. N. Resolution. We believe the sixparty talks and relevant u. N. Security Council Resolutions should be implemented in full, and all relevant parties should Work Together to firmly advance the denuclearization process of the Korean Peninsula so as to achieve enduring peace and stability in northeast asia. The friendship between the two peoples is the most Reliable Foundation and we should endeavor to solidify this important foundation. We have decided to make 2016 a year of tourism for china and the United States. In the next three years we will fund a total of 50,000 students to study in each others countries. We also welcome the United Statess decision to extend the 100,000 Strong Initiative from universities to elementary and secondary schools, and by 2020, 1 million American Students will learn mandarin. The door of friendship of china will continue to be open to the American People. I also hope that the chinese states for holidays and visits more easily and conveniently. Mr. President , with 36 years of development, the interests of china and the United States are deeply interconnected. And we have greater responsibilities for world peace and Human Progress. There are broad areas that the two sides should and can Work Together. The chinese side stands ready to work with the United States to uphold a spirit of perseverance and advance bilateral relations, to seek further progress to the Better Benefits of the chinese and American People and the people in the world. Thank you. [ applause ] were going to take a few questions. Were going to start with margaret from bloomberg. Reporter thank you, mr. President. President obama and president xi, if i am an American Business being hacked by chinese pirates trying to steal my international promoter, what Firm Assurance can you give me that things are going to get better . President obama, are you satisfied with the steps china is taking to hold off on imposing any new sanctions to this end . What do you still need to see . President xi, can we expect prosecutions of chinese individuals and organizations that have hacked u. S. Businesses . Also, everyone will kill me if i dont ask, what is your reaction to House SpeakerJohn Boehners decision to resign . Will this make life better or worse for you . Are you concerned it will make it more difficult to avoid a government shutdown, and do you think boehner could just waive the rules and get Immigration Reform through before he leaves . Thank you. Ill take them in order. With respect to cyber, this has been a serious discussion between myself and president xi since we first met. And the good news from my perspective is that in the leadup to and then finalized during our meetings here today, we have i think made significant progress in agreeing to how our Law Enforcement and investigators are going to Work Together, how were going to exchange information, how we are going to go after individuals or entities who are engaging in cyber crimes or cyber attacks, and we have jointly affirmed the principle that governments dont engage in Cyber Espionage for commercial gain against companies. That all i consider to be progress. What ive said to president xi and what i say to the American People is, the question now is, are words followed by actions. And we will be watching carefully to make an assessment as to whether progress has been made in this area. With respect to the various tools that we have to go after those who are attacking our companies or trying to extract trade secrets or data, we have traditional Law Enforcement tools. But as i indicated a while back through scuff action, as i indicated a whiling a through executive action we have proof that theyve gone after u. S. Companies or u. S. Persons. And we did not at our level have specific discussions of specific case cases but i did indicate to president xi that we will apply those and whatever other tools we have in our tool kit to go after cyber criminals, either retrospectively or prospectively. Those are tools generally that are not directed at governments, they are directed at entities or individuals that we can identify. And theyre not unique to china. Those are tools that were going to be using for cyber criminals around the world. And president xi during these discussions indicated to me that with 1 37. 3 billion people that cant guarantee the behavior of every Single Person on chinese soil which i completely understand. I cant guarantee the actions of every single american. What i can guarantee, though, and what im hoping president xi will show me is that we are not sponsoring these activities and that when it comes to our attention that nongovernmental entities are engaging in this stuff that we take it seriously and were cooperating to enforce the law. Last point ill make on the cyber issue. Because this is a global problem and because unlike some of the other areas of international cooperation, the rules in this area are not well developed. I think its going to be very important for the United States and china working with other nations and the United Nations and other and the private sector to start developing an architecture to govern behavior in cyberspace that is enforceable and clear. It doesnt mean well prevent every cyber crime but it serves as a template whereby countries know what the rules are theyre held accountable and are able to jointly go after nonstate actors in this area. On john boehner, i just heard the news as i was coming out of the meeting here so it took me be surprise and i took the time prior to this press conference to call john directly and talk to him. John boehner is a good man. Hes a patriot, he cares deeply about the house and the institution in which hes served for a long time. He cares about his constituents and he cares about america. We have obvious ly had a lot of disagreements and politically were at different ends of the spectrum but i will tell you that he has always conducted himself with courtesy and civility with me. He has kept his word when he made a commitment he is somebody who has been gracious and i think maybe most importantly hes somebody who understands that in government, in governance you dont get 100 of what you want but you have to work with people who you disagree with, sometimes strongly, in order to do the peoples business. Im not going to prejudge who the next speaker will be. Thats something that well have to be worked through in the house and i will certainly the reach out immediately to whoever is the new speaker to see what his or her ideas are and how we can make progress in the important issues that america faces. The one thing i will say is that my hope is theres a recognition on the part of the next speaker, something i think john understood even though at times it was challenging to bring his caucus along, that we can have significant differences on issues but that doesnt mean you shut down the government. That doesnt mean you risk the full faith and credit of the United States. You dont invite potential financial crises. You build roads and pass transportation bills and you do the basic work of governance that ensures that our military is operating and that our National Parks are open and that our kids are learning. And theres no weakness in that. Theres thats what government is. In tour democracy. You dont get what you want 100 of the time. And so sometimes you take half a loaf, sometimes you take a quarter loaf. And thats certainly something that ive learned here in this office. So im looking forward to working with the next speaker. In the meantime, johns not going to leave for another 30 days so hopefully he feels like getting as much stuff done as he possibly can and ill look forward to work wiing with him that. Translator a reporter has raised the Cyber Security issue. Indeed at current for the International Community and for china and the United States this issue with president obama and i have on many occasions, and this is a long history, have exchanged views on this i think its fair to say weve reached a lot of consensus on Cyber Security, including some new consensus. Overall the United States is the strongest country in terms of cyber strength. China is the worlds biggest cyber country in terms of the number of web users. We have more than 600 million netisens. We are entirely able to carry out Government Departments and expert levels of dialogue and exchanges to strengthen our cooperation in many respects and turn the Cyber Security twine the two countries into a new growth source rather than a point of confrontation between the two sides. China strongly opposes and comb comba combats the steps of commercial secrets and other kinds of hacking attacks. The u. S. Side has concerns in this respect we can through the existing channels express those concerns. The chinese will take seriously the u. S. Profession of any information now and we will through Law Enforcement authorities maintain communication and coordination on this matter and appropriate ly and appropriately address them. So we have broad interests in the field of cyber but we need to strengthen cooperation and avoid leading to confrontation and nor should we politicize this issue. During my current visit its fair to say that the two sides concerning combatting cyber crimes have reached a lot of consensus Going Forward. We need to reach further agreement on them and further put them on the ground. Thank you. Now i would like to propose for chinas Central Television reporter to raise a question. Translator thank you, president xi. I have a question for president obama. I have noticed that last night during a meeting with president xi jinping as well as at the welcoming ceremony this morning and the just recently made remarks youve indicated that the u. S. Welcomes to rise of a peaceful and prosperous china and supports the china to play a big role on the international stage. Would you please elaborate that for your office so far what have you done to enable reaching this target. We are more interested for the remander of the office what will you do further to reach that goal. Thank you. Well, first of all, i think the United States has provided a platform in the postworld war ii era in which the asia region has been able to stabilize and the conditions in which china was able to grow so rapidly were maintained. And were very proud of the work that we did after world war ii to help rebuild both asia and europe, to help establish the International Norms and rules that facilitated growing global trade and connections and travel and interactions and to help maintain the peace. Since ive been president , my goal has been to consistently engage with china in a way that is constructive. To manage our differences and to maximize opportunities for cooperation and ive repeatedly said that i believe it is in the interest of the United States to see china grow, to pull people out of poverty, to expand its markets because a successful and stable and peaceful china can then serve as an effective partner with us on a range of international challenges. Last night during our discussions i mentioned to president xi that as powerful as the United States is the nature of the Biggest Challenges we face, things like Climate Change or terrorism or pandemic or refugees, those are not issues that any one nation alone can solve. And we recognize because of our strength and the size of our economy and the excellence of our military that we can play a special role and carry a larger burden but we cant do it alone. China, despite its size, still has Development Challenges of its own so it cant solve these problems alone. We have to Work Together, we have to cooperate. And i think that can happen as long as we continue to recognize that theres a difference between friendly competition which we have with some of our closest friends and allies like Great Britain or and germany or competition that tilts the Playing Field unfairly in one direction or another. Thats typically where tensions between our countries arise is the desire to hold International Norms and rules. Even as we recognize we need to update some of these institutions to reflect chinas growth in strength and power. So president xi mentioned imf reform. Thats an area where we fully support and want to implement greater voice and vote for china in that institution reflective of its strength. The same will be true when we go up to the United Nations on peacekeeping initiatives. China is able to project its capabilities in a way that can be extremely helpful in reducing don flikt. In all of those issues as well as education science, technology, we think the opportunities for corporatioper are there as long as theres reciprocity, transparency and fairness in the relationship. What i have said in the president to president xi is that given chinas size we recognize theres still a lot of development to be done and poverty inside of china but we cant treat china as if its still a very poor developing country as it might have been 50 years ago. Now its now a powerhouse and that means its got responsibilities and expectations in terms of helping uphold International Rules that might not have existed before and this is something china should welcome. Thats part of the deal of being on the world stage when youre a big country is youve got more to go. My gray hair testifies to that. [ laughter ] julie davis . Thank you, mr. President. I know you said you didnt want to prejudge the next speaker but i wonder if you could tell us what Speaker Boehners resignation today tells you about the Republican Party and your ability to work with congress in the remainder of your term, particularly since its coming at a time when youre trying to negotiate to avert a government shutdown. Does this make that easier or harder . And do you think that youll be able to move forward with the congress on priorities like the budget, planned parenthood and immigration that you werent able to address with Speaker Boehner in his position . And for president xi, youve experienced an economic downturn in your country with the stock market crisis and investors globally have been concerned about some of the actions youve taken to intervene in the stock market and the Currency Exchange rate. I wonder what you told president obama or what you can say today to restore confidence that this wont have spillover effects in the Global Economy in the future. Thank you. Well, joo you willy, i meant what i said. Im not going to prejudge who how ill be able to work with the next speaker because i dont know who the next speaker is and i suspect that theres going to be a lot of debate inside the Republican Caucus about who they want to lead them and in what direction. Its not as if theres been a multitude of areas where the house Republican Caucus has sought cooperation previously. So i dont necessarily think theres going to be a big shift. I do think that Speaker Boehner sometimes had a tough position because there were members in his caucus who saw compromise of any sort as weakness or betrayal and when you have divided government, when you have a democracy, compromise is necessary. And i think Speaker Boehner sometimes had difficulty persuading members of his caucus that hopefully theyve learned some lessons from 2011, the last time they sought to introduce a nonbudget item into the budget discussions. At that time it was obamacare and they were going to shut down the government for that purpose. It ended up really hurting the economy, slowing it down and caused a lot of hardship and problems for a lot of people. Because it turns out government provides a lot of vital services. Our military provides us protection, our agencies keep our air clean and our water clean and our people every single day are helping to respond to emergencies and helping families get Social Security checks and helping them deal with an ailing parent. And when you insist that unless i get my way on this one particular issue im going to shut down all those services and, by the way, leave a whole lot of really hardworking people without paychecks that doesnt just hurt the economy, that hurts in the abstract it hurts particular families. And as i recall it wasnt particularly good for the reputation of the Republican Party, either. So hopefully some lessons will be drawn there. I expect well continue to have significant fights around issues like planned parenthood and significant fights around issues like immigration but perhaps the visit by the holy father to congress may have changed hearts and minds. I know that Speaker Boehner was deeply moved by his encounter with pope francis. I want to congratulate him, by the way, on facilitating that historic visit. I know it meant a lot to john and his family. And i would just ask members to really reflect on what his holiness said, not in the particulars, but in the general problem sigs that we should be open to each other, we should not demonize each other, we should not assume that we have a monopoly on the truth or on whats right, that we listen to each other and show each other respect and that we show regard for the most vulnerable in our society. Its not a particularly political message but i think its a good one at a moment when in our politics so often the only way you get on the news is if youre really rude or you say really obnoxious things to people or you other peoples point of views are demonic and evil and leave no room at all for the possibilities of compromise. Id like to think that that spirit will continue to permeate washington for some time to come and i know that in his heart thats who john boehner was. It was sometimes hard to execute but as i said, he was a good man and a reasonable man and hes going to be around for a while. And i hope that we can get things done before he steps down. Translator thank you, madam reporter for your interest in chinas economy. China is now committed to improving the marketized Exchange Rate information regime. Science 2005 we adopted the Exchange Rate reform, by june this year the remmenb has increased. The recomme due to the influence of factors such as the previous strengthening of the u. S. Dollar and the somewhat turbulent Financial Market the Exchange Rate after the reform passed experienced a certain degree of fluctuation however, theres no reason for it to have a devaluation. The Exchange Rate between ren minute biis moving forward. China will further improve the marketization and formation regime of ren minute biExchange Rate, maintain the normal plux change of Exchange Rate and maintain basic stability of renminbi of equilibrium level. China is also under increasing pressure of economic down turn and some fluctuations on the stock market. Challenges and difficulties have obviously increased but what we are taking is proactive fiscal policy and prudent monetary policy. We describe them as measures to stabilize growth, promote reform, restructure the restructuring peoples livesly hood and fend off risk by comprehensively taking measures we manage to maintain a 7 growth rate in the first half of this year. Last year it was 3 of growth rate and compared with the aggregate economic strength the absolute increase of the economy is equivalent to the size of a middlesized economy. So for the first half of this year our growth rate is 7 and for the whole year i think its expected at the same level. The chinese economy maintaining a mid to high growth rate, this is a fundamental that has not changed because we are equipped with several conditions. First of all our peoples income are still at a middle income period when countries are developing, this is a period where there will be further development. At present our per capita gdp only stands at 7,800 u. S. And thats very much behind the United States. There is a big room for ascendancy, for increase and we are now doing what we call the full reforms or the full processes which is a new type of industrialization, urbanization and the agricultural modernization. Take the urbanization as example. It will increase by 2 every year. Our urbanization ratio is 53 and its expected to grow by 2 and that is equivalent to Something Like 10 Million People moving from rural areas to the urban areas. At the same time, we should not let the rural areas be backward. We need to develop the rural areas through the Internet Plus and other policies, our industrialization and urbanization will have a leap, development. Now, the chinese economy turned into a Slower Growth rate from a speedbased growth to qualitybased growth and we are moving from export driven economy into an economy driven by expanded consumption and domestic demand. We call this the new normal of the chinese economy and im confident Going Forward china will surely for all of us, for everybody provide a healthy growth that strengthens confidence. Thank you. And now i would like to remiend the reporter from the peoples daily of china to raise questions. Translator thank you, president xi. I have a question. Now, some people in america believe that chinas growth might challenge the u. S. Leading position in the world. My question for president economy is what is your view on the current United States and what is chinas u. S. Policy . Thank you. Translator thank you. In my view the u. S. In economic, many military has remarkable strength and other countries in the world are also developing. Still the u. S. Has advantages and strengths. The cold war has long ended. Todays world has entered into an era of economic globalization where countries are interdependent upon each other. People should move ahead with the times and give up on the old concepts of you lose i win or zerosum game and establish a new concept of Peaceful Development and cooperation. If china develops well, it will benefit the whole world and benefit the United States. If the u. S. Develops well, it will also benefit the world and china. Chinas policy towards the u. S. Is consistent and transparent as the worlds biggest developing country and biggest developed countries and as the worlds two biggest economies our two sides have broad and common interests on world peace and Human Progress and shoulder important and common responsibilities. Although our two sides also have certain differences but the common interests of the two countries outweigh those differences. It is also my sincere hope that the two sides of china and the lust proceed from the fundamental interest of the two peoples and world people and make joint efforts to build a new model and realize nonconfrontation, Mutual Respect and cooperation. That should serve as a direction where both sides should strive unswervingly. China is the Current International systems builder, contributor and developer and participant and also beneficiary. We are willing to work with all other countries to defend the fruits of victory of the Second World War and the existing International System centered on the u. N. And at the same time promote them to developing a more just and equitable direction. China has raised the one path one Road Initiative and proposed to establish the aiib and all of their aims are to expand mutually beneficial cooperation with other countries. These are consistent and serve in the interest of the u. S. And other countriecountries interee will actively participate in them. Thank you. Finishing up here with president obama and the chinese president. If you missed any of their news conference, its Available Online at cspan. Org. There will be a state dinner for the chinese president and his wife tonight at the white house. That will be live at cspan 2. It starts at 6 00 p. M. Eastern. The visit of xi jinping to washington has been a little overshadowed by a couple of items. The tour of pope francis yesterday here in washington and the announcement by House Speaker john boehner today that he is resigning from congress. President obama, you may have heard, mentioned it a couple moments ago saying it took him by surprise and he called him a good man. Speaker boehner inform add group of House Republican leaders this morning that hes stepping down as of october 30. The House Speaker right now holding a news briefing with reporters. We are showing it live on our companion network cspan. After his remarks, we open our fi phone lines. Speaker boehners decision was apparently inspired by his meeting with pope francis yesterday. Abc politics tweeted out this morning sources say the pope inspired Speaker Boehner to do what was best for the congress. And of course Speaker Boehner offered the invitation to pope francis to speak to a joint meeting of congress. Before that happened yesterday, the two exchanged remarks at a photoop. Heres what that looked like. Your holiness. Welcome. Really glad that youre here. Thank you, thank you for being her here. Very good to see you. How are you . Mr. Speaker. How are you . Good morning. Good morning, good morning. Thanks so much for the invitatio invitation. I appreciate his holinesss willingness to come to accept our invitation. The holy father says the spe speaker. [ inaudible ] i wanted to wear the Old Consortium tie. That meeting happened yesterday and shortly after that pope francis became the first pope in history to address a joint meeting of congress. Earlier today, he spoke to delegates at the United Nations general assembly. Well show you a portion of the popes remarks at the u. N. From earlier today. This is about 45 minutes. Translator an essential response in as much as technological power in the hands of nationalistic or falsely universalist ideologies is capable of perpetrating tremendous atrocities. I can only reiterate the appreciation expressed by my predecessors in reaffirming the importance which the Catholic Church attaches to this institution and the hope which she places in its activities. The history of this organized community of states represented by the United Nations which is presently celebrating its 70th anniversary is one of important common achievements over a period of unusually fastpaced change changes. Without claiming to be exhaustive, we can mention the codification and development of international law. The establishment of International Norms regarding human rights. Advances in humanitarian law, the resolution of numerous conflicts, operations of peacekeeping and reconciliation and any number of other accomplishments in every area of International Activity and endeavor. Now, all these achievements are light lights which help to dispel the darkness of the disorder caused unrestrained ambitions and collective forms of selfishness. Certainly many great problems remain to be resolved. Yet it is clear that without all those interventions on the international level, mankind would not have been able to survive the unchecked use of its own possibilities. Every one of these political and technical advances is a path towards attaining the ideal of Human Fraternity and a means for its greater realization. So for this reason i pay homage to all those men and women whose loyalty and selfsacrifice have benefitted humanity as a whole over these past 70 years. In particular today i would like to recall those who have given their lives for piece and reconciliation among peoples from bpeople who have been killd in the course of humanitarian missions and missions of peace and reconciliation. The experience of the past 70 years beyond all these achievements has made it clear that reform and adaptation to the times is always necessary in the pursuit of the ultimate goal of granting all countries without exception a share in and a genuine and equitable influence on decisionmaking processes. The need for greater equity is especially true in the case of those bodies with effective executive capabilities such as the security council, the financial agencies, and the groups or mechanisms which were specifically created to deal with economic crises. This will help to limit every kind of abuse or usury, especially where developing countries are concerned. The International Financial agencies should care for the Sustainable Development of countries and should ensure they are not subjective to oppressive lending systems which [ applause ] so the International Financial agencies should care for the Sustainable Development of countries and should ensure that they are not subjective to oppressive lending systems which, far from promoting progress subject people to mechanism which is generate greater poverty, exclusion, and dependence. Is the work of the United Nations, according to the principles set north the preamble and the first articles of its founding charter can be seen as the development and promotion of the rule of law based on the realization that justice is an essential condition for achieving the ideal of can universal fraternity. In this context it is helpful to recall that the limitation of power is an idea implicit in the concept of law itself. To give to each his own, to cite the classic definition of justice, means that no human individual or group consider consider itself absolute, committed to bypass the dignity and the rights of other individu individuals or their social groupings. [ applause ] the effective distribution of power, political, economic, defenserelated, technological, et cetera, among the peru plura of subjects and the druid cal system of creating claims and interests are one concrete way of limiting power. Yet todays world presents us with many false rights and at the same time broad sectors which are vulnerable victims of power that is badly exercised, the Natural Environment and the vast ranks of men and women who are excluded, these are sectors closely interconnected and made increasingly fragile by the dominant political and economic relationship relationships that is why their rights must be forcefully affirmed by working to protect the environment and by putting an end to exclusion [ applause ] first it must be stated that a true right of the environment does exist and for two reasons first, because we human beings are part of the environment. We live in communion with it. Since the environment itself entails ethical limits which human activity must acknowledge and respect man for all his remarkable gifts which are signs of a uniqueness which transcends the spheres of physics and biology is at the same time a part of these spheres. He posses a body shaped by physical, chemical and biological elements and can only survive and develop if the ecological environment is favorable. Any harm done to the environment, therefore, is harm to humanity. Second because every creature particularly a living creature has an intrinsic value. Its existence, its life, its beauty and its dependence with other creatures. We christians together with the other mono monotheistic religion believe that our nature is the fruit of the loving desbigs the creator who permits man respectfully to use creation for the good of his fellow men and for the glory of the creator. But he is not authorized to abuse it much less is he authori authorized to destroy it. [ applause ] in all religions, the environment is a fundamental good the misuse and destruction of the environment are also accompanied by a relentless process of exclusion. In effect, a selfish and boundless thirst for power and material prosperity leads both to the misuse of available Natural Resources and to exclusion of the weak. And the disadvantaged either because they are differently abled, handicapped or because they lack adequate information and technical expertise. Or are incapable of decisive political action. Economic and social exclusion is a complete denial of Human Fraternity and a very grave offense against human rights and the environment and the poorest are those who suffer most from such offenses for three serious reasons. They are cast off by a society, forced to live what you have is discarded and suffer unjustly from the consequences of the abuse of the environment. These phenomena are part of todays wide spread and quietly growing culture of waste. [ applause ] the dramatic reality this whole situation of exclusion with its evident affects has led me in union with the entire christian people and many others to take stock also of my grave respond in this record and therefore to speak out together with all those who are seeking urgently needed and effective solutions. The adoption of the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development at the world summit which opens today is an important sign of hope i am similarly confident that the paris conference on climatic change will secure fundamental and effective agreements. Our solemn commitments, however, are not enough, even though they are a necessary step towards solution solutions. The classic definition of justice, which i mentioned earlier, contains as one of its essential elements a constant and perpetual will. [ speaking latin ] our world demands of all governments leaders a will which is effective, practical, constant with concrete steps and immediate measures for preserving and improving the Natural Environment and thus putting an end as quickly as possible to the phenomenon of social and economic exclusion with its baneful consequences of Human Trafficking the marketing of human organs and tissues, Sexual Exploitation of boys and girls slave labor, including prostitution, the drug and weapons trade, terrorism, and international organized crime. [ applause ] such is the anythimagnitude of situations and the toll of innocent lives that we must avoid every temptation to fall into a dlageclarationist nominam which is just assuage our own consciences. We need to assure that we are truly effective in the struggle against all these scourges. The number and complexity of the problems require that we process technical instruments of verification but this involves two risks we can rest con twenty the bureaucratic exercise of drawing up long lists of good proposals, goals, objectives and statistical indicators or we can think that a single theoretical and a priori solution will provide the answer to all of these challenges. It must never be forgotten that political and Economic Activity is only effect ive when it is understood as a prudential activity guided by a perennial concept of justice and consciously conscious of the fact that above and beyond our plans and programs we are dealing with real men and women who live, struggle and suffer and are often forced to live in great poverty and deprived of all rights. [ applause ] to enable these real men and women to escape from extreme poverty we must allow them to be dignified agents of their own destiny. Integral Human Development and the full exercise of human acts of dignity cannot be imposed. They must be built up and allowed to unfold for each individual for every family in communion with others. And in a right relationship with all those areas in which human social life develops friends, community, towns, cities, schools businesses, union, provinces and nations now this pro poses the right to education, also for girls who rex colluded in certain places. [ applause ] the right to education which is ensured first and foremost by respecting and reinforcing the primary right of the family to educate its children as well as the right of churches and social groups to support and assist families in the education of their boys and girls. Education conceived in this way is the basis for the implementation of the 2030 agenda and for reclaiming the environment. [ applause ] at the same time, government leaders must do Everything Possible to ensure that all can have the minimum spiritual and material means needed to live in dignity and to create and support a family which is the primary cell of any social development. In practical terms, this absolute minimum has three names lodging, labor, land. [ applause ] and one spiritual name spiritual freedom which includes religious freedom, the right to education and all other civil rights. [ applause ] now for all this, the simplest and best measure, indicator of the imflplementation of the new agenda for development will be effective, practical, and immediate access on the part of pall to essential material and spiritual goods. Housing, dignified and properly remunerated employment, adequate food and drinking water. Religious freedom and, more generally, spiritual freedom and education. Now, these pillars of integral Human Development have a Common Foundation and this is the right to life and, more generally, what we could call the right to existence of human nature itself. [ applause ] the ecological crisis together with the largescale destruction of biodiversity can threaten the very existence of the human species the baneful consequences of an irresponsible mismanagement of the Global Economy guided only by the ambition for wealth and power must serve as a summons to a forthright reflection on man. Man is not only a freedom which he creates for himself, man does not create himself he is spirit and will but also nature. Creation is compromised where we ourselves have the final word. The misuse of creation begins when we know longer rise any instance above ourselves. When we see nothing else but ourselves. Conseque consequently, the defense of the environment and the fight against exclusion demand that we rise a moral law written into human nature itself, one which includes the natural difference between man and woman and the absolute respect for life in all its stages and die mentions. [applause] without the recognition of certain incontestable of certain natural incontestable limits and without the immediate impleme implementation of those pillars of integral Human Development, the ideal of saving succeeding generations from the scourge of war and of promoting social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom risks becoming an unattainable illusion or even worse, just idle chatter which serves as a cover for all kinds of abuse and corruption or for carrying out an ideological colonization by the imposition of anomalous war is the negation of all rights and a dramatic assault on the environment. If we want true integral Human Development for all, we must work tirelessly to avoid war between nations and between peoples. To this end, there is a need to ensure the uncontested rule of law and tireless recourse to negotiation, mediation and arbitration, as proposed by the charter of the United Nations, which constitutes truly a fundamental juridical norm. The experience of these 70 years since the founding of the United Nations in general, and in particular the experience of these first 15 years of the third millennium, reveal both the effectiveness of the full application of International Norms and the ineffectiveness of their lack of enforcement. When the charter of the United Nations is respected and applied with transparency and sincerity, and without ulterior motives, as an obligatory Reference Point of justice and not as a means of masking spurious intentions, peaceful results will be obtained. When, on the other hand, the norm is considered simply as an instrument to be used whenever it proves favourable, and to be avoided when it is not, a true pandoras box is opened, releasing Uncontrollable Forces which gravely harm defenseless populations, the cultural milieu and even the biological environment. The preamble and the first article of the charter of the United Nations set forth the foundations of the international juridical framework peace, the pacific solution of disputes and the development of friendly relations between the nations. Strongly opposed to such statements, and in practice denying them, is the constant tendency to the proliferation of arms, especially weapons of mass distraction, such as nuclear weapons. An ethics and a law based on the threat of mutual destruction, and possibly the destruction of all mankind, are selfcontradictory and an affront to the entire framework of the United Nations, which would end up as nations united by fear and distrust. There is urgent need to work for a world free of nuclear weapons, in full application of the nonproliferation treaty, in letter and spirit, with the goal of a complete prohibition of these weapons. The recent agreement reached on the nuclear question in a sensitive region of asia and the middle east is proof of the potential of political good will and of law, exercised with sincerity, patience and constancy. I express my hope that this agreement will be lasting and efficacious, and bring forth the desired fruits with the cooperation of all the parties involved. In this sense, hard evidence is not lacking of the negative effects of military and political interventions which are not coordinated between members of the International Community. For this reason, while regretting to have to do so, i must renew my repeated appeals regarding to the painful situation of the entire middle east, north africa and other african countries, where christians, together with other cultural or ethnic groups, and even members of the majority religion who have no desire to be caught up in hatred and folly, have been forced to witness the destruction of their places of worship, their cultural and religious heritage, their houses and property, and have faced the alternative either of fleeing or of paying for their adhesion to good and to peace by their own lives, or by enslavement. These realities should serve as a grave summons to an examination of conscience on the part of those charged with the conduct of international affairs. Not only in cases of religious or cultural persecution, but in every situation of conflict, as in ukraine, syria, iraq, libya, south sudan and the great lakes region, real human beings take precedence over partisan interests, however legitimate the latter may be. In wars and conflicts there are individual persons, our brothers and sisters, men and women, young and old, boys and girls who weep, suffer and die. Human beings who are easily discarded when our only response is to draw up lists of problems, strategies and disagreements. As i wrote in my letter to the secretarygeneral of the United Nations on 9 august 2014, the most basic understanding of Human Dignity compels the International Community, particularly through the norms and mechanisms of international law, to do all that it can to stop and to prevent further systematic violence against ethnic and religious minorities and to protect innocent peoples. Along the same lines, i would mention another kind of conflict which is not always so open, yet is silently killing millions of people. Another kind of war experienced by many of our societies as a result of the narcotics trade, a war which is taken for granted and poorly fought. Drug trafficking is by its very nature accompanied by trafficking in persons, money laundering, the arms trade, Child Exploitation and other forms of corruption. A corruption which has penetrated to Different Levels of social, political, military,