'Experts' [Committee of 100] Offer Insights on U.S.-China and Chinese American Issues

April - June 2010

C-100 Chair John Chen opens 19th Annual Conference.

The Committee of 100 19th Annual Conference convened this April in San Francisco, welcoming more than 600 guests to the Conference and Awards Gala, including 65 C-100 members from all over the world.

The opening reception at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco was hosted by Wells Fargo. Michael Cohen, Director of San Francisco Economic & Workforce Development, delivered welcoming remarks, joined by Jay Xu, Director of Asian Art Museum and Anne Copeland, Executive Vice President of Wells Fargo’s Private Banking.

Four C-100 Bay Area members co-chaired this long-planned event: CEO and President of Broadvision, Inc. Pehong Chen, Former President and CEO of United Commercial Bank Doreen Woo Ho, Chief Legal Officer of Orrick, Herrington and Sutcliffe LLP Lawrence Low,and Founder and Director of Union Square Investments Leslie Tang Schilling.

Doreen Woo Ho was one of four conference co-chairs.(right)

Leslie Tang Schilling and Lawrence Low sharing the podium.(left)

Apart from overseeing the Conference and Awards Gala, the co-chairs also planned a special mentoring event for aspiring Chinese-American professionals. This year was the debut of the C-100’s Leadership Development Forum, organized in partnership with Bay Area organizations. Designed for mid to senior level professionals with at least six years of career experience, the forum is an opportunity to learn career advancement strategies from prominent C-100 members. The Forum was sponsored by Fortinet Inc. and held at the Wells Fargo Penthouse, with over 100 professionals mentored by 15 C-100 members in small groups of five or six. With the aim of encouraging in-depth conversation and a more lasting impact, the Leadership Development Forum was a great success.

Former California State Controller Steve Westly keynoted the mentoring event, which was chaired by conference co-chair Pehong Chen.

The conference took place during a critical juncture in the Sino-American relationship. Recent disputes between the U.S. and China had erupted around the climate change conference in Copenhagen, Tibet, arms sales to Taiwan, China’s currency evaluation, the cyberspace security controversy, and proposed legislation that would impose tariffs on Chinese products imported to the U.S. 

From left: C-100 members Bernard Joei, Daniel Chao, and Chairman John Chen, honoree Cheng Siwei, members David Chu, Peter Liu, and David Chang. 

Thus, the Annual Conference provided a timely platform for engagement on these issues and for exploring other areas such as education, technology cooperation, and international security. Keynote speakers were former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Susan Shirk, Former Secretary of Defense William Perry, and Worldwide Managing Director of McKinsey & Co. Dominic Barton. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell participated in the conference and delivered remarks through live satellite feed. Read coverage of U.S. and China issues at the conference.

Other highlights at the conference included a panel discussion featuring five presidents from top American and Chinese universities: President of Peking University Zhou Qifeng, President of Tsinghua University Gu Binglin, President of Stanford University John L. Hennessy, Chancellor of University of California, San Diego Marye Anne Fox, and Chancellor of University of California, Santa BarbaraHenry Yang. They shared their perspectives on how to nurture the next generation of global leaders. One of the “Reflections” sessions featured Co-Founder of Yahoo! Jerry Yang who interviewed Co-Founder of YouTube Steve Chen about his experience in technology innovation and business development. A group of Asian-American political leaders discussed the opportunities and challenges for Asian-Americans to rise to leadership positions in government. The panel speakers included Congresswoman Judy Chu, President of San Francisco Board of Supervisors David Chiu, and California State Assemblyman Van Tran. Read conference coverage of Asian American issues here. 

Mezzo soprano extraordinaire Zheng Cao performed three songs at the Gala.

Celebration of achievement was the theme of the Awards Gala on April 8 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. The Gala was emceed by Emmy Award winning ABC7 news anchor Alan Wang and KTVU Channel 2 News Reporter Claudine Wong.

From left: Dilling Yang (C-100 Member Henry Yang's wife), Gwen Kao (Charles Kao's wife), honoree Charles Kao, honoree Chen Ning Yang, Weng Fan (Chen Ning Yang's wife).

Honoree Daniel C. Tsui and C-100 Executive Director Angie Tang. 

The C-100 Excellence Award was presented to seven people, four of whom are Chinese American Nobel Prize winners, Charles K. Kao, Daniel C. Tsui, Chen Ning Yang, and The Honorable Steven Chu (through special video greetings). The other Chinese American  honoree was San Francisco Ballet principal dancer Yuan Yuan Tan.

Honoree Yuan Yuan Tan.

The Committee also honored two international statesmen: Lien Chan of the National Policy Foundation in Taiwan, and Cheng Siwei, Chairman of International Finance Forum and Former Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress. Both have made significant contributions in promoting China’s peaceful relations and continued economic integration with the rest of the world.

Honoree Lien Chan and C-100 member Walter Wang, who presented the award (below left). Wells Fargo Executive Vice President Sanjiv Sanghvi (below right).

 

C-100’s Corporate Excellence Award was presented to Wells Fargo for its commitment to diversity and community service for Asian-Americans. Sanjiv Sanghvi, an Executive Vice President and head of Wells Fargo International Banking and Trade Solutions, accepted the award on behalf of Wells Fargo.

Former C-100 Chairman Bob Lee and Congressman Mike Honda.

Among the distinguished guests at the conference were Congressman Michael Honda, San Francisco Consul General Amb. Gao Zhansheng, Representatives from the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office in San Francisco, and President and Chief Operating Officer of Las Vegas Sands Corp. Michael Leven.

This year’s leading sponsors were: Continental Airlines, Las Vegas Sands Corp, and Wells Fargo. More than twenty organizations joined C-100 as conference promotional partners: Ascend, Asian American MultiTechnology Association, Asia Society of Northern California, Asian Business League of San Francisco, Asian Law Caucus, Asian Pacific Fund, AT&T- Asian Pacific Islanders for Professional and Community Advancement, Bay Area Council, California-Asia Business Council, Corporate Asian American Employee Network, Give2Asia, Hua Yuan Science and Technology Association, Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics, Monte Jade Science and Technology Association, National Association of Asian American Professionals-Orange County, Organization of Chinese Americans, Oriented.com, Peking University Alumni Association of Northern California, Sina.com, Stanford MBA Asia Business Association, and UCLA Asian American Studies Center.

Many people and organizations worked for months preparing for this event. A team of volunteers spent long hours providing on-site conference support: Betty Ban, Bryan Chen, Stella Chen, Will Dong, Vivian Fu, Alan Huang, Betsy Lee, Andrea Lo, Clarence Tong, Christina Tsou, Kevin Tsui, Brandon Tung, and Paul Yeh.

Of special note are the many Bay Area and other members who helped the conference co-chairs with fundraising, procuring speakers, and moderation and organization of panels, as well as planning special events. 

The conference team included Kim Yee, event organizer; Monique Chao, event coordinator; John Yong, graphic designer; and the photography team led by Kevin Ng. Carol Edgar of Carol Edgar Communications assisted with public relations support. Current and former Committee staff working on the conference included Angie Tang, Executive Director; An Ping, Public Affairs Director; Michael Lee, Development Director; Yong Lu, Research Director; Alice Lin, Program Associate; Michael Jee, Administration Director; Frank Liu, IT Administrator; and Program Assistants Wenting Zhu and Michael Minakawa.

Conference

The Committee of 100 convened its 22nd Annual Common Ground Conference April 24-25 in Washington, D.C. The 2013 Conference Co-Chairs were Howard Li, Theodore Wang, andBenjamin Wu. The Platinum Sponsors for the Conference included J.T. Tai & Co. Foundation, represented by Ming Hsu, and Wells Fargo, represented by Nancy Wong.

The conference events began with the Opening Reception, held at the Kennedy Caucus Room in the Russell Senate Office Building. Congress woman Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader in the U.S. House of Representatives, and Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth, U.S. Representative of the 8th District of Illinois, welcomed C-100 participants to the historic space and discussed the contributions of C-100 to strengthening U.S.-China relations.

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Awards Gala

Following the conference, the Committee hosted its 22nd Annual Awards Gala. Clive Crook, Bloomberg View columnist, highlighted the professional impact of the C-100 China Delegations and Nancy Poon Lue discussed the impact of the C-100 Leadership Development Initiative on her career.

Madam Li Haifeng, Vice-Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, received a Special Acknowledgment of Appreciation for her work with overseas Chinese. The Committee remembered C-100 members Charlie Sie and Zheng Cao; C-100 Advisory Council Member Irene Hirano Inouye thanked C-100 for its posthumous tribute and long-standing friendship with former Senator Daniel Inouye.   

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Leadership Summit

 

On April 26, the Committee of 100 hosted its inaugural Annual Leadership Summit at the Mayflower Renaissance Hotel in Washington, D.C. An integral part of the Committee's Leadership Development Initiative, the Summit offered mid-level professionals a unique opportunity for career development and networking.

The one-day program included an exclusive Executive Leadership Training facilitated by Columbia Business School Professor William Klepper and roundtable discussions with C-100 members on developing leadership skills.

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C-100 Chairman Dominic Ng met with Deputy Director Tan Tianxing

In March, Dominic Ng, C-100 Chairman and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of East West Bank, met with Tan Tianxing, Deputy Director of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council, People's Republic of China to discuss issues of common concern.

C-100 Members met with San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee

 

On May 11, Committee of 100hosted San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, his wife, and two daughters at a private meeting and discussion on U.S.-China relations. Vice Chair of the Bay Area Jay Xu presided over the meeting and C-100 members joined the gathering: 

Dan Chao, Kenneth Fong, George Koo, Bob Lee, Larry Low, Jenny Ming, Anna Mok, Tony Sun, Linda Tsao Yang, Stanley Wang, and Dennis Wu.