From the Executive Director

Angie Tang

December 2012

As we approach the end of 2012, the organization’s vibrant health reflects strengthened staffing capabilities and focused program-based development – two strategic objectives set by the Chairman and Board in April 2012.

Staffing Capabilities. This year's milestones were amplified by the gains from the team's continuous strategic learning journey. I am grateful to have engaged Columbia Business School to provide us with professional development opportunities via a series of high impact executive education courses. Our team’s valuable takeaways include grasping the fundamentals of change leadership and creating breakthrough strategies for C-100. C-100 applications of key lessons learned already produced impressive results in strategically positioning C-100 in the Washington DC policy community.

Program-based Development. The growth trajectory of our three program areas – Educational Exchange, Public Diplomacy, and Leadership Development – is entering an advanced stage of enriched content and extensive reach.  

• Educational Exchange: The Journalist and Civic Leader Delegations continue to attract elite interest and participation. With the inaugural Civic Leaders Delegation in May and completion of the November Journalist Delegation, C-100 is shaping the U.S.-China dialogue on the frontlines. Recently-returned C-100 Journalist Delegates Jonathan Tepperman, managing editor at Foreign Affairs, Clive Crook, senior editor of The Atlantic and columnist for Bloomberg View, and Brian Lehrer, host of the Brian Lehrer Show WNYC have been blogging about their China experience. To view their conversation and contribute your comments, visit http://www.wnyc.org.

• Public Diplomacy: As Chairman Dominic Ng referenced, the impact of C-100’s China policy debate in Washington DC continues to reverberate.  Building on the debate’s strong momentum, we released a verbatim China debate transcript, which was briefed to Members of Congress and key stakeholders in Washington. All expressed high interest in exploring future collaborative efforts. 

• Leadership Development: High demand for participation in the New York Women’s Leadership Exchange, Washington D.C. Leadership Roundtable, and Southern California Leadership Mentoring Program attests to the Committee’s unparalleled appeal as a magnet that attracts rising Asian American leaders who aspire to learn from C-100 members. 

With this year’s repertoire of high-profile accomplishments, 2013 promises to further expand C-100’s role as the foremost non-governmental interlocutor between the United States and China. Looking ahead, the Committee will continue to bolster organizational capabilities and program development. As one of the Chairman’s strategic priorities, substantive engagement with U.S. and Chinese policymakers will remain a central focus as senior political leadership transition in Washington and Beijing is formalized early next year. The Committee’s Annual Conference in Washington D.C., April 24-25, 2013, represents the next phase in broadening C-100’s contribution to the U.S.-China dialogue. 

C-100 members’ guidance and support are critical to executing our winning proposition: to bridge the future success of the U.S. and China by gleaning lessons from the past and fostering dynamic exchange in the present.

We look forward to forging ahead with C-100 members, partners, supporters and friends in making 2013 another hallmark year.