Committee of 100 Newsletter

From the Committee of 100 Chairman

Dominic Ng
Chairman, Committee of 100

November 2011

This year’s Greater China Conference in Hong Kong on December 4 and 5 will focus on four timely issues fueling China’s economic engine—the Chinese consumer, the internationalization of the RMB, bilateral educational partnerships, and China’s investment abroad—all of which have global repercussions.C-100 is honored that the United States Ambassador to China, Gary Locke, will address participants at both our opening gala and the next day’s conference. PBS Talk show host Tavis Smiley will provide memorable highlights of his “Postcards from China” series, which was produced with substantial support from the Committee. Smiley was a participant in the 2010 C-100 Journalist Delegation. I would like to express my gratitude to the conference co-chairs ─ Ronnie Chan, Tony Chan, Victor Fung, and Ya-Qin Zhang ─ for assembling a stellar line-up of speakers and participants.

The Fourth C-100 Summer Institute: A “Life-changing” Experience for Northern California Teachers

This summer, sixteen Northern California middle and high school teachers participated in the Committee’s fourth Summer Teachers Institute, a five-week immersion in Chinese culture, history and language. Described by program evaluator Nancy Sato as “a life-changing event that improved their understanding and interest in China, which will continue the rest of their lives,” the Institute has had a positive impact on hundreds of students and is already reflected in Bay Area classrooms. One teacher, Manuel Lopez, from Everett Alvarez High School in Salinas, told C-100 Senior Associate for Education Karen Leong Clancy: “I am currently in the process of changing my approach to teaching economics because of the study tour. In essence, I have become a China junkie. I will forever be in debt to the many people that invested in how I think about China.”

C-100 Summer Institute participants with one of their many Chinese hosts, officials of the Jingzhou Municipal Government.

Honorable Mentions: Recent Awards to C-100 Members—Dominic Ng, 2011 Individual Eddy Award, Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation

C-100 Chair Dominic Ng receiving the 16^th Annual Eddy Award at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

Committee of 100 Chairman Dominic Ng, East West Bank Chairman and CEO, was honored with the Individual Eddy Award on November 3 for his leadership in regional economic development by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC).

LAEDC CEO Bill Allen presented the award to Ng and paid tribute to his significant contributions to spurring Los Angeles economic growth since he took over East West Bank in 1991: “East West represents significant capital and investment in Los Angeles County’s local economy and infrastructure."

Newsmakers: Links to Members in the News—Anla Cheng

Kelly Chung Dawson profiles Anla Cheng, partner at Sino-Century China Private Equity LLC, in “Paving a New Path for Chinese Businesswomen,”  China Daily (11/11/11).  Cheng’s childhood growing up in Japan as the daughter of a Chinese diplomat, her career as a private equity investor focusing on Asia, and her commitment to educational organizations that teach about China and Chinese Americans are told mostly in Cheng’s own words. 

Newsmakers: Links to Members in the News—Hao Jiang Tian

This summer’s I Sing Beijing program led by Hao Jiang Tian, Master Teacher and Artistic Director of the Hanyu Academy of Vocal Arts in Beijing, was much in the news  with its innovative mix of teaching Chinese opera and Mandarin to young Western singers.  

Tian conceived of the program with his wife Martha Liao, president of the Asian Performing Arts Council of New York “as a response to the rise of a dynamic scene for vocal arts in China” that has come from the immense popularity of Western opera in China and the simultaneous growth of Western interest in Chinese opera. As Time Magazine reporter John Krich wrote in “As Opera Struggles in West, an Art Form Flourishes in China”:

“’The future of opera may be in China,’ says Tian Hao Jiang, China's most celebrated operatic export [and] a mainstay at New York's Metropolitan Opera. ‘So it's about time to reverse the trend. Instead of Chinese singers always coming to the West, Western singers are coming to learn Chinese.’”

C-100 Scholarships Presented to Sichuan Medical Students

This October, the Committee of 100 awarded scholarships to 54 students at the Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The program assists students whose families suffered in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, allowing them to continue their education.

Carter Tseng (right) congratulating a scholarship winner.

Carter Tseng, who represented both C-100 and his Little Dragon Foundation, which awarded 66 scholarships, helped present RMB 360,000 to the 120 students at the October 19 ceremony. This is the second year of the C-100 scholarship program, which has disbursed a total of nearly $143,000 in awards. According to Give2Asia, which administers the program and organized the ceremony, Tseng “inspired the students to pass on the caring, charitable spirit that they experienced and give back to society when they have an opportunity to do so,” studying hard now so that they can contribute to the future development of Sichuan and China.

The Committee of 100 4th Greater China Conference

The Committee of 100 4th Greater China Conference
December 4-5
Island Shangri-La Hotel, Hong Kong

U.S. Ambassador to China and former Committee of 100 member Gary Locke will address the Committee’s Greater China Conference and welcome the Gala Dinner in Hong Kong, setting the scene for discussion of "Common Ground: Building Trust for a New Era." This year, Co-Chairs Ronnie Chan, Tony Chan, Victor Fung, and Ya-Qin Zhang are introducing innovations to the Committee of 100 conference format that will give participants onsite and online a more interactive experience.

Ronnie Chan	Tony Chan	Victor Fung	Ya-Qin Zhang

Committee of 100 Innovation Forum in Chengdu

At the invitation of the Chengdu Municipal Government, the Committee of 100 hosted a “C-100 Innovation Forum” on October 16, featuring a delegation of members led by Charlie Sie. Sie reported that a standing-room-only audience of 500 members representing a cross-section of Chengdu citizens attended the Forum, which was broadcast by Sichuan TV. The delegation met with Chengdu Mayor Ge Honglin before the Forum. Sichuan Party Secretary Li Dengju opened the Forum with welcome remarks.

C-100 Innovation Forum: From left: Zhang Yi (Forum moderator), Charlie Sie, Carter Tseng, Xu Guanlin, Liu Yonghao, Wufu Chen and Shu Li

Committee Members in Beijing Greet New U.S. Ambassador to China Gary Locke

Committee of 100 Greater China Vice-Chair Ya-Qin Zhang hosted a welcome dinner for U.S. Ambassador to China Gary Locke and his wife Mona on October 11 at the Beijing American Club. Ambassador Locke, a former C-100 member, is the first Chinese American to be appointed Ambassador to China, a posting he assumed two months ago amid much media attention in China.

Ambassador Locke and his wife, Mona Locke (center), with Committee of 100 members, spouses, and guests at the Beijing American Club.  

Other C-100 members in attendance were Kelly Cha, Ed Chan, Gareth C.C. Chang, Tim Chen, Handel C.H. Lee, Kai-Fu Lee, Jeffrey Li, Shu Li, Dazong Wang, and Dali Yang.

New York Launches Committee of 100 Women’s Leadership Exchange

New York members inaugurated a new program on October 6 to cultivate leadership among young Asian American women professionals in a variety of fields including government, journalism, high technology, medicine, and law. Conceived by Lulu C. Wang, C-100 Vice Chair for the New York region and CEO of Tupelo Capital Management, and C-100 Executive Director Angie Tang, the mentoring program aims to assist promising Asian American women build a support network for professional growth and advancement. Participants were also invited to volunteer for the Committee and participate in broader C-100 activities such as the annual conference.