C-100 Washington Leadership Dialogue Addresses Asian American and U.S.-China Issues at the White House

At the White House: Members and staff with Cabinet Secretary Chris Lu, Gautam Raghavan, Dan Russel and Evan Medeiros.

C-100 members convened concurrent meetings with senior officials from the White House and the National Security Council, including Chris Lu, Assistant to the President and Cabinet Secretary; Christopher Kang, Office of the White House Counsel; and Gautam Raghavan, Associate Director, White House Office of Public Engagement.

Chairman Dominic Ng and C-100 members Stewart Kwoh, Frank Wu, Lulu C. Wang, and Debra Wong Yang led discussion on a range of issues, including key findings of C-100’s 2012 Opinion Survey, the Pew Survey on Asian Americans, and Asian American representation in the federal court judiciary nomination process. Lu and his colleagues engaged the members in considering how to foster broader political participation among Asian Americans. Both sides affirmed the timeliness of C-100’s Statement of Principles of Guidance for Political Candidates on China-related Issues.

Members also held fruitful dialogue with two National Security Council officials, Director of Asian Pacific Affairs Dan Russel and China Director Evan Medeiros. Russel confirmed that the Administration strives to think strategically about U.S. interests in Asia and to pursue solutions that shore up regional partnerships and alliances. Medeiros said that Chinese Americans are the greatest "force multiplier" in the United States on the China debate. Ng commented on the maturing nature of U.S.-China relations and the "quiet confidence" that both countries' diplomats displayed in expediting the recent release of the blind Chinese dissident to come to the United States.

Wang stressed that beyond government-to-government relations, our strategic relationship is strengthened by people-to-people diplomacy, cultural and educational exchanges, and Chinese language programs in U.S. schools. Yang reiterated the need to set a clear path for Chinese investment in the U.S. and reduce any obstacles on this path.