Li Xing:I know that you are known for your efforts, or your success, in transcending partisan boundaries. China and the US have different political systems. So how do you transcend these differences? Michael Leavitt:Well, I think the principle here is different systems, common goals. And we need to build bridges. What I said earlier about interoperable systems: the systems can be different. You can have different operating systems, but if the right arrangements have been made, if the software's been developed, those two systems can communicate. Where there's a common interest and a common benefit, those bridges can be built. To be more specific, as our countries' trade relationship grows, it will require that we have systems in place in both countries to help sustain that relationship. I'll be attending tomorrow, and Wednesday and Thursday, the Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED) between the United States and China. The issues related to how we can create that kind of bridge-building is what we're talking about. In a global economy, China and the United States will become more prosperous by trading with each other, by having that kind of interoperable system, but the system doesn't always exist. We have to invent it, and have to figure out how to navigate the different political systems and the different sociology and the different economic interests. Sometimes we have to navigate all of those.
Li Xing:So what do you think the coming SED will achieve?
Michael Leavitt:Well, it will continue the dialogue helping us understand where the differences are. I believe it will also produce some important food safety, drug and device agreements, though the goal of the SED is not necessarily the signing of agreements. It's to understand each other better. But we're finding as we understand each other better, it produces opportunities like the one we'll be seeing come to fruition tomorrow.
Li Xing:Do you have anything in particular to say to the netizens? I think Chinese netizens want to know more about you.
Michael Leavitt:Well, they should periodically check my blog, and I'd be happy to interact with some of your netizens. Perhaps we could arrange a link with China Daily and I could periodically interact with all of the netizens. They can go tohttp://www.hhs.gov/. On the homepage they will see a little box that has my blog and I would love to hear from them directly.
Li Xing:China Daily regularly publishes people's blogs.
Michael Leavitt:Do they? Well, then I should get you to publish my blog. That's been an interesting and unique experience. I write them myself, and I try to review the comments that come in. I'm not able to respond to every comment, because of the time. I often end up writing the blogs late at night in a hotel room. Sometimes I even try to write them while I'm exercising, which is not easy. I don't write every day, but I write sometimes a couple times a week or more. I'll be writing about my trip. I may do a blog on my interview on China Daily.
Li Xing:Can we print it in China Daily? I'm the editor of the opinion page.
Michael Leavitt:Oh are you? I'd be happy to do that.
Li Xing:I'm still interested in your trip last year, when you visited some orphanages in Guangzhou, and you also met with a girl who recovered from the bird flu.
Michael Leavitt:I met the little girl and her family, and I met the doctor who cared for her and who very quickly recognized that it was a dangerous situation and reported the event. And she got the care she needed. She's not the first family member that I have met who had avian influenza. When I was in Vietnam a couple of years ago, I met a family who had the father and the mother and two daughters who became very sick. And they told me about their experience. It helps me understand it. It's hard to fully understand how horrible it would be and the fear they would have until you've talked to them. And how it affected the people in the village and they had to destroy their chickens and it was their livelihood and how difficult that was for the village chief. Seeing it where it actually happens is the very best way. Actually, I've written quite a bit about that trip. I didn't publish it, but maybe I could use my connection with the editor, now, to do that.
Li Xing:Please do. Based on your experience, in what specific ways should the United States and China collaborate to prevent pandemics?
Michael Leavitt:The most important thing we can do is to be transparent and share. Share knowledge and share samples. For example, when there's an event, it's very important that the world knows about it and the world has a chance to look at the samples of the virus, so that we can be preparing for a vaccine. That we share research on vaccines. When it comes to a pandemic, if it exists anywhere, there's danger everywhere.
Li Xing:That's right.
Michael Leavitt:And we're all in a pandemic together. There's no way that one country can be isolated or one country can be dealing with it on their own. So the best thing we can do is what we're doing now. We can always do a better job of it, but being transparent and sharing information.
Li Xing: Thank you very much for being with us. You've been very informative. I think Chinese netizens have really learned a lot. Would you like to say anything?
Michael Leavitt:I will. I'm delighted for a chance to do this. This is the first time I've had the chance to do this. This is the first time I've done this kind of a forum in China or anywhere else. I hope that I can continue this dialogue with many of the netizens on my own blog. And if you'll watch my blog, I'll write an article about my interaction here. If you have other questions, I may not be able to answer all of them, because my guess with 10 million hits a day, China Daily probably has more than I could possibly respond to. But I'd love the interaction and I commit to you that we'll continue our discussion.
