Statement from CUSEF on the Passing of President Jimmy Carter
卡特总统百年纪念

James Chau (周建成)
(President, China-United States Exchange Foundation)




	
December 30, 2024 (Hong Kong): President Jimmy Carter lived a life of milestones
 including reaching his 100th birthday on October 1, 2024 - an achievement 
made all the more remarkable given he had spent almost two years in hospice 
care. I was privileged to meet and interview President Carter on a number 
of occasions over the years, and speak with him intimately about his world 
view, which he had a unique understanding of, and commitment to strengthening 
U.S.-China relations. Each time we conversed, I saw first-hand how, throughout 
his century of achievements, the one enduring quality that defined him was 
his deep concern for and contribution to the human condition.

As a child, he donated five cents a week to support church missionaries, 
many of whom were working in China at the time. As an adult, his four year 
presidency and almost 44 year post-presidency was given to resolving global 
conflicts, combating diseases including Guinea Worm, and helping to build 
4,390 homes for families in need with his own hands. With his marriage in 
1947 to the late Mrs. Rosalynn Carter, with whom he co-founded The Carter 
Center, they became equal partners in both life and work.

While it was President Richard Nixon who broke the silence with China when 
he visited Beijing in 1972, it was President Carter who normalized bilateral 
relations in 1979 ù a historical event in which his personal role is sometimes 
overlooked.

In doing so, the two countries not only embarked on a modern relationship 
that helped to end the Cold War together, but created an alliance of 1.8 
billion people today that has led the fight against major threats to the 
health and well-being of the planet. Today, despite serious tensions, President 
Carterós legacy continues through ongoing efforts to maintain global peace 
and security, and fight common challenges from climate change to artificial 
intelligence.

The manifestation of what is possible has also thrived through the longtime 
partnership between The Carter Center and the China-United States Exchange 
Foundation, which is based on the personal friendship between President 
Carter and CUSEF’s Founder and Chairman Emeritus Mr. Tung Chee-hwa.

When I first met and interviewed President Carter in 2017 in Plains, Georgia,
 we talked about the importance of global cooperation to fight disease. 
The announcement last month at our annual U.S.-China Hong Kong Forum that 
CUSEF will join The Carter Centerós international campaign to eradicate 
Guinea Worm - only the second disease in history to be eradicated ù is a 
powerful expression to enhance this collaboration, and how our two foundations,
 one based in Atlanta and the other in Hong Kong, can work together for the 
lasting good of humanity.

In paying tribute to President Carterós 100th birthday at CUSEFós annual 
meeting, we honored the legacy of his life-transforming work, along with 
the work of his loving wife and partner Mrs. Rosalynn Carter, that will 
continue to live through the women and men of The Carter Center.

Today, we join the world in mourning the passing of President Carter, celebrating 
his extraordinary life, and recommitting to doing our part to support his 
dream for a more equal and peaceful world. We extend our deepest condolences 
to his loved ones during this time of loss.

(The source of the article comes from  chinausfocus.com)

卡特总统百年纪念

吉米•卡特总统的一生是里程碑式的。了不起的是,在近两年的临终关怀期间,他于 2024年10月1日庆祝了百岁寿诞。我有幸多次见到并采访卡特总统,听他畅谈对世界 的看法,因为他对增进中美关系有独特的理解和承诺。每一次对话,我都亲身感受 着贯穿他百年人生的那种特质,即对人类命运的深切关注和为此做出贡献。 孩童时期,他就每周拿出5美分捐给教会,当时有不少传教士在中国工作。成年后, 他利用4年总统任期和近44年的前总统身份致力于解决全球冲突,抗击包括龙线虫病 在内的疾病,并亲自为有需要的家庭建造了4390套住房。1947年,他与罗莎琳•卡 特女士结婚,二人既是生活伴侣也是工作伙伴,后来他们一起创办了卡特中心。 1972年尼克松总统访问北京,打破了中美之间的坚冰,而卡特总统在1979年让两国 关系实现了正常化,虽然在这一历史事件中他的个人作用往往被忽视。 这一举措不仅让两国开启有助于结束冷战的现代关系,还让有18亿人口的中美两国 在今天得以携手应对影响地球健康与福祉的重大威胁。尽管眼下两国关系紧张,但 通过持之以恒地维护全球和平与安全,努力应对气候变化和人工智能等共同挑战, 卡特总统的政治遗产将永续不断。 卡特中心与中美交流基金会之间的长期合作关系体现了这种可能性,这一关系建立 在卡特总统与中美交流基金会创始人兼荣誉主席董建华先生的个人友谊之上。 2017年第一次与卡特总统见面并采访时,我们谈到了全球合作抗击疾病的重要性。 上个月在我们中美香港论坛上宣布,中美交流基金会将加入卡特中心的国际活动, 致力于根除龙线虫病-这将是历史上第二个被根除的疾病。此举有力地展现了我们两 个基金会之间的合作,展现了位于亚特兰大的卡特中心与位于香港的中美交流基金 会如何携手为人类的长远利益而努力。 在中美交流基金会年度会议上,为向卡特总统的百岁寿诞致敬,我们纪念了他和他 挚爱的妻子罗莎琳•卡特所做的改变世人命运的工作,这些工作将通过卡特中心的 同事延续下去。 今天,我们与全世界共同悼念卡特总统,纪念他非凡的一生,并重申我们支持他的 梦想-立志建立一个更平等更和平的世界。此刻,谨向他的家人致以最深切的哀悼。




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