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

• Roundtable speakers and participants will explore key U.S.-China issues. Background briefing papers will be available online for the public. See below for a summary of the roundtables and confirmed speakers. For registration information, go to http://conference.committee100.org/2011hk/index.php.

• Offsite conference participants will be able to watch online interview clips with conference speakers conducted by the distinguished members of the 2011 C-100 Journalists Delegation: Rekha Basu, Columnist, The Des Moines Register; Clive Crook, Senior Editor, Atlantic Monthly; Nicholas Goldberg, Editor of Editorial Pages, The Los Angeles Times; and Eugene Robinson, Columnist and Associate Editor, The Washington Post. The videotaped interviews will be live-streamed via the conference micro-site.

• Members of C-100’s media team will be sending updates and conference highlights on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Confirmed featured speakers include:

• Chen Guocai, Vice President, China State Construction Engineering Corporation Ltd.
• Cheng Lixin, President and Chief Executive Officer, ZTE U.S.A.
• Wei Sun Christianson, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Morgan Stanley China
• Antony Leung, Senior Managing Director, Chairman of Greater China of The Blackstone Group
• Liew Mun Leong, President and CEO, CapitalLand Group
• Chris Lu, Chief Executive Officer, Deloitte China
• John Sexton, President, New York University
• Tsui Lap Chee, Vice-Chancellor, University of Hong Kong
• Brad Williams, President and CEO, MVP RV Inc.
• Xiao Geng, Senior Fellow and Director of Research, Fung Global Institute
• Xu Sitao, Chief Representative, China, The Economist Group & Director of Global Forecasting, China, EIU

Roundtable Summaries:

ROUNDTABLE I: Chinese Consumption and its Global Impact

The 12th Five Year Plan seeks to rebalance China’s economy to increase domestic consumption and encourage environmentally and economically sustainable growth. These seemingly contradictory goals bring great challenges. What will sustainable consumption, with Chinese characteristics, look like? Will China meet its ambitious climate change targets through use of smart-grids, e-commerce, or renewable energy? Where does increasing urbanization fit in? And how will these strategies change the business environment for both domestic and international companies?

ROUNDTABLE II: The Internationalization of the RMB and its Impact on the Global Financial System

China’s strategy to internationalize its currency will have huge implications for trade, financial markets, and global financial stability, as well as for geopolitics. How will RMB internationalization affect China’s role as the center of Asia’s manufacturing and export economy? Is the U.S. adequately prepared for the geopolitical implications of the RMB’s transition to its debut as an international reserve currency?

ROUNDTABLE III: Education Partnerships between the U.S. and China

Can education lead the way to overcome culture, financial, and other barriers and create mutually beneficial partnerships? What lessons can be transferred to business or other sectors? Among the models is NYU Shanghai, New York University’s newest campus in its global network and the first American university with independent legal status approved by the Chinese Ministry of Education.                       

ROUNDTABLE IV: China’s Outbound Foreign Direct Investment

What does “investing abroad with Chinese characteristics” mean? Two targets for Chinese ODI stand out: investment in natural resources, largely financed by China Development Bank or Exim Bank, and undertaken by state-owned enterprises (SOE), and mergers and acquisitions abroad by Chinese private and state-owned companies to expand production or build a global brand based on a strong home market position (for example, Lenovo’s acquisition of IBM’s PC unit). Will opportunities emerge for foreign companies to provide financing or professional services? What management, cultural and corporate governance issues will Chinese companies face on foreign soil?