Remarks at Award for Corporate Excellence Ceremony

I have the privilege today to represent Ambassador Clark T. Randt, Jr., who is out of the country on this Chinese National Day.

Since 1979, when the Chinese Government began admitting foreign direct investment, American firms have been partners in China's economic reform and opening up to the outside world. They act:

• as bridges between our peoples,
• as exemplary employers,
• as good taxpayers, and
• as models of business ethics and managerial best practices.

As exemplars, American companies bear heavy responsibilities. When one American company acts nobly, it ennobles all. The brothers Cheng warned over nine centuries ago against the single-minded pursuit of profit. They added that "the noble—those with benevolence and righteousness [in their hearts]—will … never fail to profit."

Entrepreneurs are ordinary people bold enough to attempt to build ideas into realities. When that boldness is married to a commitment to constructing a better world, the result is the kind of good corporate citizenship that the Award for Corporate Excellence recognizes.

In 1992, when Roberta and Elyse first conceived the idea of a foreign-invested hospital in China, they were talking about doing the impossible. It was, literally, against regulations. The regulations changed, however, and five years later the Beijing United Family Hospital, Chindex's joint venture, opened its doors as the first foreign-invested hospital in China.

Now the hospital frequently welcomes visiting hospital administrators from across China eager to learn from this showcase of American-style patient centered healthcare. Chindex continues to work for positive systemic reform in China. Chindex is involved in the U.S. initiative through APEC to promote U.S.-style accreditation of hospitals on the basis of quality of service. Roberta is working with the Chinese health officials and professionals to speak on the subject in several Chinese cities this year.

Chindex has made its hospital available to Chinese orphans in need of life-altering operations. Operations, like the one Secretary Powell described, can be a child's ticket out of an orphanage and into a full and productive life. More orphans are scheduled for surgeries over the next few months.

In America, our most honored citizens have distinguished themselves through a combination of public service and private philanthropy. Chindex has likewise distinguished itself as a meritorious corporate citizen in China through its contributions to changes in the delivery and administration of healthcare services and direct help to the needy. We are delighted to see Chindex, its founders, and employees honored with the Secretary of State's Award for Corporate Excellence.

Thank you.