Committee of 100 Newsletter

From the Committee of 100 Chairman

Dominic Ng
Chairman, Committee of 100

January 2012

In charting our course in the New Year, the Committee of 100 is poised to play a pivotal role in strengthening U.S. - China cooperation for 2012. With major political leadership transitions underway in the United States and Greater China, China issues are front and center in this year’s U.S. presidential and congressional elections. Beijing, Taipei, and Hong Kong are closely attuned to the tone and tenor of candidates’ attitudes toward key issues affecting bilateral relations.

From the Executive Director

Angie Tang

January 2012

Happy New Year!

This January 2012 issue outlines the impact of the Committee’s continued efforts in building the organization’s capabilities in three core areas - Education, Diplomacy, and Leadership Development.

• Education: The 2011 Journalist Delegation Program created a transformative experience for three highly influential American journalists: Eugene Robinson, Pulitzer Prize-winning Columnist and Associate Editor of the Washington Post; Nicholas Goldberg, Editor of the Editorial Pages of the Los Angeles Times; and Rekha Basu, Columnist for the Des Moines Register. All three journalists were first-time visitors to mainland China. A post-program evaluation component was incorporated into the 2011 delegation to measure the personal and professional impact on each delegate’s perceptions of China.

C-100 Co-Sponsors Global Views Business Forum in Taipei

The Ninth Annual Global Views Business Forum was held in Taipei November 1-2, hosted by Charles Kao, founder and CEO of Global Views Monthly, and co-sponsored by the Committee of 100. Kao and Committee of 100 Chairman Dominic Ng welcomed the gathering of Chinese entrepreneurs from Greater China and the United States.

Newsmakers: Links to Members in the News - Yo-Yo Ma

From November 16 to 19, Yo-Yo Ma joined an unusual delegation of American artists, including Meryl Streep, Alice Waters and Joel Coen, at the Asia Society's U.S.-China Forum on the Arts and Culture in Beijing.  “As the Chinese-American cellist Yo-Yo Ma performed an eclectic, quirky concert showcasing American culture, one of China’s rising political stars gave her blessing, standing up to wave to the crowd between pieces. . . . The program was widely covered and praised in the official Chinese media and on informal social networking sites. It was embraced by the senior official, Liu Yandong, a member of the Communist Party’s powerful Politburo and the country’s highest-ranking female politician,” wrote Ian Johnson of the New York Times.

Southern California to Host 21st Annual C-100 Conference

April 19-21

The Langham Huntington Hotel and Spa

Pasadena, California

The Committee of 100 convenes its 21^st Annual Conference this April at The Langham Huntington in Pasadena, California.  The Awards Gala on April 19 is followed by a full-day conference on April 20, which features four Roundtables on the current state of U.S.-China relations:

Washington Members Meet Top Hong Kong Representative in the United States

Hong Kong Commissioner Donald Tong is in the front, far right. Hong Kong Deputy Commissioner Bassanio So is in the top row, second from right.

Hong Kong Commissioner for Economic and Trade Affairs Donald Tong hosted Committee members at his home in Washington, D.C., on November 30, prior to the December C-100 Greater China Conference in Hong Kong. Tong is the highest ranking official representing the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in the United States. Washington members Bob Gee, Michelle Kwan, Cheng Li, Michael Lin, Ben Wu, and Jeremy Wu attended the dinner.

Committee of 100 Calls for Probe of Racially-Motivated Violence against Asian Americans in Military

In a December 22 statement calling for a thorough investigation of the suicide of Army Private Danny Chen in Afghanistan on October 3, the Committee of 100 commended “the U.S. Army for its decision to charge eight American soldiers in relation to Pvt. Chen's apparent suicide and for publicly acknowledging that Pvt. Chen was subject to bullying and hazing.”  C-100 also stressed that “the Army's investigation should probe further to determine any pattern of racially-motivated violence against Asian-American servicemen and women, as evidenced by the suicides of Pvt. Danny Chen and of Lance Corporal Harry Lew in April this year.” 

The Fourth C-100 Journalist Delegation: Changing Perceptions, Building Bridges

The success of the fourth Committee of 100 Journalist Delegation trip to China in late 2011 highlights the invaluable role the Committee continues to play in educating Americans about China and U.S.-China relations.

Journalists Nicolas Goldberg, Eugene Robinson and Rekha Basu at the Great Wall.

From November 28 to December 6, three distinguished American journalists–Eugene Robinson, Pulitzer Prize-winning Columnist and Associate Editor of The Washington Post; Nicholas Goldberg, Editor of the Editorial Pages of The Los Angeles Times; and Rekha Basu, Columnist for The Des Moines Register–visited Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong on their first visit to mainland China. This was the fourth Committee of 100 delegation sent to China since 2007 for the purpose of giving influential American journalists who have little or no direct experience in China an opportunity to gain a first-hand perspective on current issues and developments in the country.

Fourth Greater China Conference Underscores Building Bilateral Trust in a New Era

At the Committee of 100’s Fourth Greater China Conference – Common Ground: Building Trust in a New Era – in Hong Kong on December 4-5, 2011 –  the Committee addressed the need for ongoing U.S.-China cooperation on four timely issues: the global impact of Chinese consumption, RMB internationalization, education partnerships, and China’s foreign direct investment.

Committee members at the Hong Kong conference with Ambassador Gary Locke.

The two keynote speeches amplified the conference’s “Common Ground” theme. Gary Locke, U.S. Ambassador to China, announced U.S. intentions to issue five-year visas to Chinese visitors on the condition that Beijing allows reciprocal visa arrangements for American visitors. Tavis Smiley, Host of Tavis Smiley on PBS, stressed both countries’ challenges to resolve growing economic inequality between the haves and have-nots.

Eisenhower Fellowship Program: Committee Members Engage with Emerging Leaders from China and Taiwan

New York area Committee members hosted a select group of Eisenhower Fellows from Taiwan and China on November 7.  The Committee regularly meets with these small delegations of emerging Chinese leaders in government, business and academia who visit the United States under the auspices of the Eisenhower Fellowship program. Establishing ongoing relationships with Greater China’s current and future leaders is a component of the Committee’s leadership development efforts.

Lulu C. Wang [on left] hosted the meeting with Eisenhower Fellows at her Tupelo Capital Management office.

 The Committee was represented by C-100 New York Regional Vice Chair Lulu C. Wang, Guoqing Chen, Anla Cheng, James Li, Henry Tang, Executive Director Angie Tang, Public Relations Director An Ping, and Director of Special Projects Alice Lin.