On October 22, 2015, the Committee of 100 and the Commonwealth Club of California co-hosted the inaugural installation of a joint speaker series to address key issues in U.S.-China relations. The program featured a discussion between Professor Zhang Weiwei of Fudan University, Director of the SASS Institute of China Studies and former interpreter for Deng Xiaoping, and Admiral Gary Roughead, an Annenberg Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution and Former Commander of U.S. Pacific and Atlantic Fleets. The event, titled “China and the U.S.: Can Conflict be Avoided?” was attended by over 160 individuals from the Bay Area, including C-100 members Dan Chao, Ken Fong, George Koo, Anna Mok , Dennis Wu, and other leaders in the business, academic, media, and non-profit fields.
Watch the full event footage above
This forum covered a wide range of topics in U.S.-China relations, including Taiwan, North Korea-China relations, the South China Sea, contrasting defense strategies, and the common threat of international terrorism.
Professor Zhang Weiwei noted the interesting reality that China has been able to establish a close cooperative relationship with the United Kingdom, but has not been able to do so with the United States, a close ally of the U.K. He commented that China’s trade with the U.S. is 9 times greater than its trade with the U.K., meaning there is much more to gain from collaboration. Admiral Gary Roughead stated that the two countries have expressed willingness to work on such sensitive issues as cybersecurity and the protection of intellectual property rights, which bodes well for the future of the bilateral relationship.
Special thanks to C-100 member Ken Fong for initiating this event as well as the joint speaker series, George Koo for organizing the speakers and moderating the discussion, Dennis Wu for spearheading the planning and organization of this program, and Anna Mok for opening the forum on behalf of C-100 and the Commonwealth Club.
Read more about this event through the press coverage by Forbes, San Francisco Chronicle, China Daily USA, World Journal, and Sing Tao Daily.
For full audio and video of the event, you can check out The Commonwealth Club website.
Admiral Roughead, Zhang Weiwei, and C-100 Member George Koo at the October 22 Speakers Forum
RELATED PRESS COVERAGE:
Zhang Weiwei Talks About His New Think Tank, U.S.-China Relations And Why He Loves Bhutan | Forbes
Can Conflict Between US, China be Avoided? Two Experts Think So | China Daily
Can Conflict be Avoided between China and the U.S.? How Do Experts from Both Countries See It (中美冲突能否避免？两国学者怎么看) | KTSF
Zhang Weiwei: U.S.-China Conflict Can Be Avoided (張維為：中美衝突可避免) | World Journal (世界新闻网)
Scholar and Admiral Advocate for U.S.-China Cooperation and Avoiding Conflict (学者上将同喊中美合作免冲突) | Sing Tao Daily (星岛日报)
To see all press coverage of the Committee of 100, click here.
