 Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States and Mrs. Reagan, anthems of the Republic of Singapore and the United States of America. The spirit of Singapore but also as a friend and as a senior world citizen, a statesman. The dazzling success of Singapore in these last two decades shines as a tribute to the hard work and ingenuity of its people and also as a monument to the wise leadership that you have provided your countrymen over your 26 years in office. Mr. Prime Minister, today it is common to hear of the vitality and prog-mplifies the spirit which is catapulting Pacific Rim nations into a new age. The people of the United States, Mr. Prime Minister, are committed to being part of this great experiment in enterprise and freedom. We are and will remain a Pacific Rim country. And with this, our two countries enjoy ever-broadening commercial ties. Two-way trade between us continues to grow rapidly. The United States is now the largest foreign investor in Singapore. Over 400 United States corporations have a presence there. Our people are joined together in a multitude of profit-making enterprises that benefit all concerned. As in many parts of the world, Singapore is struggling to overcome the effects of the international economic downturn. Yet your people are free with every reason to have faith in tomorrow. Freedom is the main spring of progress that has enriched the lives of our people. Comfort and policy objective of the United States is to protect and expand free trade by opening markets now closed or unfairly regulated. This will be a major goal at the next round of trade talks. When stride once unleashed, it will set in motion a cycle of reaction and paralysis, eventually destroying those it claims to protect. Mr. Prime Minister, I look forward to our discussion today. I'm confident that peace, as a country like the United States, composed of citizens with many philosophies and religions, your democratic institutions encourage social harmony by protecting the rights of the minority. You have demonstrated a sense of responsibility that few can match, playing a constructive role in the world, community of nations, and in the Asian Pacific region. Or at its colleagues in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have taken against the Vietnam occupation of Cambodia and ASEAN's reasonable proposal for a political settlement returning self-determination to the Cambodian people. You and other ASEAN composed of people who are fiercely competitive, who strive for and expect perpetual progress. We're builders, entrepreneurs, people of wisdom. It's natural for us to be friends and to work together. And I'm grateful to have this opportunity to meet with you and discuss a broad range of issues and to renew our personal friendship. Mr. President, it is an honor to be received by you in facing the future with confidence. Since 1945, American leadership has been a constant factor in an ever-changing world. What the leader of the world's most powerful country and the world's largest economy does affects Singapore and the rest of East and Southeast Asia. Twenty years ago, there was no external power that could have challenged the preeminence of the United States and of cooperation between themselves. They grew closer together in political and economic cooperation as member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Mr. President, I look forward to my discussions with you and your colleagues. The ties between the United States and Singapore will strengthen. For it is an association that rests easily on both of us and our governments and bring mutual benefits. Thank you, Mr. President, for this warm welcome. Good. Let's conclude the ceremony.