MANILA, Philippines – The speeches of United States President Barrack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao at their recent meeting at the White House made known in clear language the depth of their commitment to peace and humanity around the world.

Obama who personally welcomed the Chinese leader in his Oval Office reaffirmed America’s fundamental commitment to the universal rights of all people.

“That includes basic human rights like freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, of associations and demonstrations, and of religion,” he declared.

He also noted that they are rights that are recognized in the Chinese constitution.

On this, China’s Hu Jintao agrees with the US President that “as mankind enters the second decade of the 21st century, the international situation continues to undergo profound and complex changes and that there is growing number of global challenges.”

It is in meeting these challenges that he said both China and the United States have common interests – and responsibilities.

With their differences on the principles of governance, you would think that, as a matter of course, the regimes that they pursue would be a big hindrance to their understanding of national and international goals.

The fact is that democracy is a form of government while others look at communism as a way of life. Communism as envisioned by Marx is pure democracy.

As has been written and repeatedly said, the philosophy of communism is not at odds with the philosophy of democracy. In communist regimes, however, communism is thought to be the perfect ideology.

But it is obvious those differences are not the concern of the two world leaders.

President Hu in his speech repeatedly sounded his views on the need for China-US cooperation, saying it plays “great significance for our two countries and the world.”

He revealed that Obama and himself agreed to “push forward” comprehensive China-US partnership to better benefit “people in our own countries and the world over.”

In closing, the Chinese leader pledged to work “with the United States and other countries to effectively address global challenges such as meeting the climate change, terrorism, transnational crimes, energy and resource security, food security, public health, and serious natural disasters, so as to forge a bright future for the world.”

(zhern_218@yahoo.com)