Committee of 100 Newsletter

Latino Leaders Form Committee’s First Community Leadership Delegation to China

November 2008 | By Pat Kwoh and Jane Leung Larson

Delegation dinner with C.H. Tung (Former Chief Executive of H.K.)	Delegation at Village school

A delegation of eight Latino community leaders from business, media, education, non-profit organizations and foundations visited China from November 6-14 on the Committee’s first Community Leadership Delegation. 

Los Angeles Board of Education Adopts Resolution to Expand Mandarin Classes for Students at all Levels

Committee of 100 Key in Building Support for Mandarin Programs

November 2008 | By Jane Leung Larson

In no small part due to the dedication and work of Los Angeles–area C-100 members, the Los Angeles Board of Education adopted the Mandarin, Spanish, and Other World Languages in the Schools Initiative on October 28. The Committee of 100, led by C-100 Vice Chair Stewart Kwoh, convened a diverse group of educators to form the Mandarin in the Schools Committee, which developed the resolution with Yolie Flores Aguilar, Board of Education Vice President, and shepherded it through to ultimate passage.

This ambitious resolution will greatly expand the opportunities for the study of Mandarin in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). With 700,000 students, LAUSD is the second largest school district in the country.

Committee Distributes Grants from C100 Earthquake Relief Fund

November 2008 | By Jane Leung Larson

The May Sichuan earthquake was only six months ago, but rebuilding will take years and cost hundreds of billions of dollars. With 88,000 dead or missing, the earthquake left behind shattered families as well as flattened villages in a remote and impoverished region.  The Committee of 100 Earthquake Relief Fund raised (USD) $840,415 for immediate relief and long-term reconstruction for both physical structures and lives. 

Give2Asia, a funding organization established by the Asia Foundation, has worked with the Committee to select projects and partners for grants from its Fund, and this November, the final distributions were made.  C-100 Development Director Michael Lee reports that the Committee supported seven projects:

John Leighton Stuart, China Expert, Is Buried There at Last

By David Barboza
The New York Times
November 19, 2008

[Editor’s note:  On November 17, Committee of 100 Chairman John L. Fugh finally was able to keep a promise to his father, Philip Fugh, to oversee the interment of former U.S. Ambassador John Leighton Stuart in China.  The ceremony in Hangzhou, Stuart’s birthplace, was attended by current American Ambassador to China Clark T. Randt.  Excerpts follow of this amazing story of Sino-American politics, strife, and friendship.] 

Presidential Campaign Draws Active Participation by Members

November 2008 | By Jane Leung Larson

A number of Committee of 100 members exercised their political right to take a stand in the 2008 presidential election, campaigning vigorously for their candidates. From addressing rallies to canvassing, lending their names to political advertisements, raising funds, or donating their talents, Committee members made their voices heard this year. Below are just a few of their stories.

Welcome Dinner for New TECRO Representative Jason Yuan

November 2008 | By Jane Leung Larson

The Committee of 100 welcomed Taiwan’s top diplomat in the United States, Jason Yuan, Representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO), at a dinner at the Georgetown Club in Washington, D.C., on October 20 with C-100 Chairman Gen. John L. Fugh and his wife June, Bob Gee, Ernestine and Chi Wang, Theresa and Ben Wu, and Executive Director Alice Mong.

L-R, standing: Chi Wang, Ben Wu, Kyle C.K. Jin of TECRO, Representative Jason Yuan, John L. Fugh, Robert Gee; seated: Alice Mong, Theresa Wu, Mrs. Jason Yuan, June Fugh, Ernestine Wang, Christine M.Y. Hsueh of TECRO

C100 Regional Activities

November 2008 | By Jane Leung Larson

Committee members often host dignitaries who pass through their region and meet with visiting and resident Chinese diplomats.

Los Angeles members and Secretary Rita Lau (center, in black and white jacket).

In Los Angeles, Hong Kong’s Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Rita Lau, had dinner with Committee of 100 members on November 17 before traveling to Lima, Peru for the APEC Ministerial meeting. She briefed LA members on recent developments in Hong Kong. Lau was appointed to her position by Hong Kong SAR Chief Executive Donald Tsang in July to replace Frederick Ma. C-100 members and spouses were Wing Chao, Ming Hsu, Alice Huang, Pat and Stewart Kwoh, Dominic Ng, Charlie Sie, Charlie Woo, and Janet Yang. Accompanying Secretary Lau were Commissioner for Tourism (Designate) Margaret Fong, Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in San Francisco Doris Cheung, and several other staff members.

Asian Leadership Summit Seeks to Cultivate New Markets, New Talent

November 2008 | By Jane Leung Larson

The Committee of 100 was a Summit Supporter for the 2008 Asian Leadership Summit sponsored in New York by IBM, GE, and HSBC on November 5-6. This is an unusual collaboration of non-profit groups like C-100 and the China Institute, top American corporations, academia, and the media. The three sponsoring companies sent their CEOs (Samuel Palmisano, IBM; Jeffrey Immelt, GE; and Paul Lawrence, HSBC USA) to demonstrate their commitment to expanding markets in China and India and among Asian Americans, while developing Asian American talent to the highest levels. Among the speakers were CNBC’s Maria Bartiromo, Earth Institute director Jeffrey Sachs, NBC White House correspondent John Yang, and former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer.

Mei-Wei Cheng and Clarence Kwan spoke on the panel, “Enabling Success in China and India.”	Laureen Ong was a panelist for “Asian Women—Vital to Business Success Today and Tomorrow.”

Polling Firm and Advisory Committee Members Selected for 2009 Opinion Survey

November 2008 | By Jane Leung Larson   

The Committee of 100 has selected Harris Interactive, a distinguished public opinion research firm, to conduct its 2009 opinion survey, American Attitudes toward Chinese Americans and Asian Americans. Harris will perform the survey fieldwork early next year, with results announced at C-100’s 18th Annual Conference, April 30-May 2, in Washington, D.C.

Frank H. Wu, C-100 Vice Chair, said that the survey would “probe American perceptions of Chinese and Asian Americans and identify the underlying elements that formulate the perceptions. While there are many studies conducted on race and diversity issues, most surveys exclude Asian Americans. We believe now more than ever is a critical time to examine American perceptions specifically of Chinese and Asian Americans, especially because of the dramatic rise of China, the Beijing Olympics, the election of the first black president, and the increasing prominence of Asians in American society.”

Henry Kissinger to be Honored as U.S. and China Celebrate Thirty Years of Normalization

When Henry Kissinger made his secret trip to China on behalf of President Nixon in 1971, his talks with Premier Zhou Enlai began the long path that culminated in normalization of relations between the U.S. and China in 1979 under President Carter. In celebration of the 30th anniversary of normalization, the Committee of 100 will honor former Secretary of State Kissinger at its 18th Annual Conference in Washington, D.C.

Kissinger, now 85, has remained active on the U.S.-China front, through business interests and as a foreign policy analyst.

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