Committee of 100 Newsletter

Washington, D.C. to Host C-100 22nd Annual Common Ground Conference

The Committee of 100 will convene its 22nd Annual Common Ground Conference this April at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C. The Opening Reception on April 24 at the Senate Kennedy Caucus Room will be followed by a full-day conference on April 25 at the Ronald Reagan Building.

The conference will highlight leaders from top multinational corporations, senior government officials, and illustrious representatives from the art and entertainment world. Featured speakers will discuss major U.S.-China issues on four roundtables: Strategic Trust Priority: Building U.S.- China Strategic Trust; Bilateral Trade Relations: The Global Impact of U.S.-China Cooperation and Competition; The Politics of Business: Chinese Outbound Investment in the United States; and Campaigns and Elections: Assessing Media Perceptions of China in U.S. Election Campaigns. To learn more about and register for the 22nd Annual Conference, click here. To keep up to date with the latest conference updates, follow #C100Conf2013 @Committee100 on Twitter.

The Committee of 100 Mourns the Passing of Mezzo-soprano Zheng Cao

The Committee of 100 mourns the passing of mezzo-soprano Zheng Cao, 46. Cao passed away on February 21 in her San Francisco home after a long battle against cancer.  

A Shanghai native, Cao developed her voice in San Francisco, dazzling audiences with notable performances throughout her career, including her roles as Suzuki in Madama Butterfly and Ruth in Stewart Wallace’s The Bonesetter’s Daughter, based on the novel by Amy Tan. Cao later founded the Merola Opera Program Zheng Cao Opera Fund, which sponsors an incoming Merola artist who is a mezzo-soprano of Asian American or Pacific Islander descent. Cao joined C-100 in 2011. 

The Committee Grieves the Passing of Dr. Charles H. Sie

The Committee grieves the passing of Dr. Charles H. Sie, a longtime member and former Vice Chairman of the Southern California region. Dr. Sie passed away on February 27, 2013 in Los Angeles, California.

Dr. Sie studied electrical engineering at Manhattan College and received his Ph.D. from Iowa State University.  He later became the first Chinese American Vice President of Engineering at Xerox and was the founding Chairman of Aviva Biosciences, a biochip start-up. After retiring, Dr. Sie was a visiting professor at Nankai University and a special advisor to the Schools of Engineering and Asian American Studies at the University of California Los Angeles.

Newsmakers: Tan Dun, Distinguished Composer

In both China and New York City, Chinese American composer Tan Dun has staged his distillation of the Chinese operatic classic, The Peony Pavilion, in a unique garden setting.  

According to China Daily’s Liu Yuhan, Tan has revived the dying art of ancient Suzhou-style kunqu opera.  Recently, The Peony Pavilion held five performances in the Metropolitan Museum’s Ming dynasty-style Suzhou garden in a program co-sponsored by Shirley Young’s US-China Cultural Institute.  After the success of The Peony Pavilion in New York, Tan has been invited to share his work in other major cities such as Paris, Tokyo, Los Angeles, and London.

Newsmakers: Hao Jiang Tian, Renowned Opera Singer

On February 7, The Wall Street Journal featured Hao Jiang Tian's program "I Sing Beijing," in which Tian trains Western opera singers to perform songs in Chinese. The program had its debut in the U.S. on February 16. In addition, on February 20 The New York Times highlighted Tian’s opera career and mentoring of younger performers.

Newsmakers: Lulu Wang and Oscar Tang, Philanthropists

On January 8, the New York Times recognized Committee of 100 members Lulu C. Wang and Oscar Tang, whose multi-million dollar gifts to Wellesley College, Phillips Academy at Andover, Skidmore College, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art brought them to the attention of the larger philanthropic world.

Members of Note: David L. Lee, Business Executive

David L. Lee has been appointed Chair of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) Board of Trustees, following a twelve-year tenure on the board.  Lee, managing general partner of Clarity Partners, received his Ph.D. in Physics from Caltech in 1974 and has played a leading role in supporting Caltech’s work through donations for fellowships, the David and Ellen Lee Center for Advanced Networking, and seed funds for Caltech programs in information technology and quantum physics.

Members of Note: Cheng Li, China Expert

On February 7, Brookings Institution’s Thornton China Center Director of Research Cheng Li testified before Congress at the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission's hearing on "China’s New Leadership and Implications for the United States."  

He addressed the uncertainty inherent in China’s political transition and the problems and promises that a new Chinese leadership poses for the United States.  Li also authored a January 20 article in The Daily Beast on potential risks facing the Chinese leadership, which was based on Li’s contribution to a Brookings briefing paper for President Obama. On February 10 in The Cairo Review of Global Affairs, Li  analyzes the new Politburo Standing Committee members and the likelihood of significant political reforms.

Honorable Mentions: John Chiang, Asia Society Southern California

Two-term California State Controller John Chiang was named 2013 Asian American Leader of the Year by the Asia Society Southern California at its annual dinner February 19.  In addition, Governing magazine featured Chiang as “one of the most powerful people in the nation's biggest state,” in its “State Democratic Officials to Watch in 2013” list. Louis Jacobson of Governing notes that “Chiang could become one of the most prominent Asian-American politicians in the coming years.”

Honorable Mentions: Ken Xie, National Academy of Engineering

Fortinet Founder, President, and CEO Ken Xie was elected in February to the National Academy of Engineering in recognition of his “contributions to cybersecurity, including network security systems and services.”  The National Academy of Engineering is a private, non-profit organization formed under a Congressional act to advise the federal government on engineering and technology as they affect the national quality of life.  Members are elected by their peers.