Remarks at Cascade Senior Living Opening Ceremony

在凯健老年生活开幕典礼上的讲话

Gary F. Locke, United States Ambassador to China

美国驻华大使骆家辉

August 21, 2013

2013年8月21日

Thank you very much, James, for the introduction. It’s really a pleasure to be here and quite an honor to be attending the Cascades Senior Living Apartment opening ceremonies.

非常感谢詹姆斯的介绍。真的很高兴和荣幸来到这里，出席凯健老年生活公寓的开业典礼。

It’s indeed a pleasure to share the podium with so many distinguished guests, especially Vice Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Mr. Do Yupei, but also Mr. Nathan McLemore who is Managing Director of Columbia Pacific Management and Mr. Granger Cobb who is the President and CEO of Emeritus Senior Living. Both of the companies from my home state and my residence of Seattle, Washington.

真的很高兴与这么多尊贵的来宾分享同一张讲台，尤其是民政部副部长窦玉沛，还有哥伦比亚太平洋管理公司董事总经理Nathan McLemore先生，荣休老年生活公司总裁兼首席执行官Granger Cobb先生。这两家公司都来自我的家乡和我居住的地方——华盛顿的西雅图。

And of course this project would not be possible without the leadership and the vision of the Chinese companies, Sino Ocean Land, and the President Mr. Li Ming and also China Life Insurance Company Ltd. Mr. Yang.

当然，如果没有中国公司，如远洋地产、李明总裁以及中国人寿保险股份有限公司的杨先生的领导和远见，这个项目就不会成为可能。

China is really facing the challenges of taking care of a rapidly aging population because China now has almost 200 million people who are over the age of 60. But that number is increasing by almost nine million seniors a year, and by the year 2030 is expected to be almost 400 million seniors over the age of 60 years old. So this poses an enormous challenge for the people and the government of China.

中国的确正面临快速老龄化人口护理的挑战，因为中国目前有近两亿60岁以上的人口。而这一数字以每年将近900万的老年人口在增加，到2030年，将可能有近四亿60岁以上的老人。因此，这对中国人民和政府构成了巨大挑战。

The Chinese culture is known for emphasizing deep respect for one’s parents and the elderly and of course taking care of our elderly. So it’s only natural that China, we believe, will be a world leader in the quality of senior care services and in senior living communities.

中国文化以强调对父母和老人的由衷尊重以及照顾我们的老人而著称。所以我们相信，中国将成为世界老年人护理服务质量和老年人居住社区的领军者，这是很自然的。

During a recent U.S.-China Dialogue the Deputy Director General Peng of the National Development and Reform Commission indicated the desire of China for more cooperative exchanges with the United States in the area of health care and senior care services. He encouraged U.S. companies to invest in the Chinese health care market and pledged China’s support for both joint ventures and direct investments in health [and senior] care.

在最近的一次美中国对话期间，中国国家发展与改革委员会的彭副司长表明了中国愿在保健和老年人护理服务方面与美国进行更多的合作交流。他鼓励美国公司投资中国保健市场，并许诺中国为从事保健[和老年人]护理的合资企业和直接投资提供支持。

One of my priorities as U.S. Ambassador to China has been to foster closer cooperation between China and the United States in this area of health care and senior care, because both of our countries face the challenges of an aging population. So our Commercial Service has worked with the China Real Estate Chamber of Commerce to coordinate Chinese government efforts to develop local senior care communities. We have facilitated a number of exchanges with U.S. experts to help the Chinese understand U.S. policy and actually help develop the first Chinese senior care standard for this industry.

作为美国驻华大使，我的优先事项之一就是促进中国和美国在卫生保健和老年人护理这方面更紧密地合作，因为我们两国都面临着人口老龄化的挑战。因此我们的商务服务曾与全联房地产商会一同工作，以协调中国政府发展本地老年人护理社区的努力。我们已经促成了与美国专家的多次交流，以帮助中国人了解美国的政策并真正帮助这个行业发展第一批中国老年人护理标准。

In 2012 we led a trade mission focused on green hospital design and senior living, and the purpose of this mission was to introduce best practices of America to the Chinese government and to Chinese companies, and to introduce those U.S. companies on that trade mission to Chinese enterprises.

2012年，我们组织了一个绿色医院设计与养老服务贸易代表团，目的就是向中国政府和企业介绍美国的成功经验，并将代表团中的美国企业介绍给中国企业。

Cascade Health Care, which was one of the partners of this project, was a delegate on that trade mission. So we were also very pleased to arrange for Cascade Health Care and other U.S. companies to advise a task force of the State Council which is developing recommendations for Chinese national policy on senior living.

凯健医疗公司是这个项目的合作伙伴之一，也是那个代表团的成员之一。因此我们也非常愿意为凯健公司和其他美国公司进行安排，向正在制定中国养老服务业国家政策建议的国务院工作组建言献策。

So it’s a great pleasure to be here today to witness Cascade Health Care and Sino Ocean Land in celebrating the opening of their first major U.S.-China joint venture senior living project here in Beijing.

今天，我非常高兴能够在这里见证这个开业仪式。这是凯健公司和远洋地产在北京联手创办的第一个养老合作项目。

As I indicated, both China and the United States face the challenge of the rising numbers of seniors. I’ve had a chance to tour this facility. I must say it’s absolutely beautiful. It has great support and medical services, talented, trained staff. The living units are very warm and friendly and I think the residents that will call this home will very much feel that it is a home.

正如我刚才说的，中国和美国都面临着老龄人口增长带来的挑战。我参观过这家养老机构，我得说，这里美极了。这里有非常好的支持和医疗服务，有聪明、训练有素的员工。这里的居住单元非常温馨友好。我想，选择在这里安家的人会感觉这里就是家。

Facilities like this really I think will be the model for the industry not just in China but also in the United States and indeed around the world.

我认为，这样的机构一定会成为养老服务业的典范，不仅是在中国，在美国和全世界都是如此。

I must confess, I have a personal interest in facilities like this because my mom suffers from a very advanced stage of Parkinson’s Disease. She’s still living at home. She wants to stay at home as long as possible. But now we’re confronted with the need of providing almost 24 hour care to make sure that she’s safe and gets the proper physical therapy, but also the medicine that she needs. All the members of the family are trying to provide care for her, but at some point we know she’ll have to go into a more structured facility, hopefully a facility like this that offers 24 hour supervision, medical care, physical therapy and other support services.

我必须承认，我对这样的机构有个人兴趣，因为我妈妈患有晚期帕金森氏症。她还住在家里。她希望尽可能久地住在家里。但是，现在我们面临提供近24小时监护的需要，以确保她的安全，确保她得到适当的物理治疗，以及她需要的药。所有的家庭成员都试图照顾她，但在某一刻，我们知道她将不得不住进一家更加功能化的机构，希望是像这家一样的，提供24小时监护，医疗护理，物理治疗和其他赡养服务。

We owe so much to our elders for all that they have done to raise us, their children, and for all of their sacrifices so that all of us could enjoy a better life. The least that we can do is ensure that our elders have quality care and quality living communities.

我们太亏欠我们的长辈，他们为了抚养我们，他们的孩子，做了很多牺牲，让我们都能享有更好的生活。我们至少要确保我们的长辈得到优质的护理服务和优质的生活社区环境。

So it’s a great pleasure to welcome partnerships between Chinese and U.S. senior living community companies like this and to christen and cut the ribbon for facilities like this because these facilities and these partnerships will help not just to meet the needs of our elderly generation, but really improve their quality of life.

所以很高兴迎来像这样的中国和美国老年社区企业之间的伙伴关系，和为这样的机构揭幕和剪彩，因为这些机构和这些伙伴关系将不仅帮助满足老年人的需求，而且真正提高他们的生活质量。

So on behalf of the U.S. Embassy we wish all of you much success and a great future in serving the needs of the elderly here in China.

所以代表美国驻华使馆，我们祝福大家在服务于这里的老人的需求之际获得圆满成功和美好的未来。

Thank you very much.

非常感谢。

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