Mission & History

ABOUT

Committee of 100 is a non-partisan leadership organization of prominent Chinese Americans in business, government, academia, and the arts. The concept of founding the Committee came from the renowned architect, the late I.M. Pei and Dr. Henry Kissinger, 56th U.S. Secretary of State in 1988. Kissinger discussed with Pei the notion of organizing an influential group of Chinese Americans to address issues of international concern between the United States and China. Later in June of 1989, I.M. Pei became inundated with calls from reporters seeking his reaction as an influential Chinese American to the Tiananmen events. Pei felt that no single individual could adequately represent the Chinese American perspective. With a sense of urgency to build bridges between China and the United States, Pei teamed with master cellist Yo-Yo Ma, Henry S. Tang, Oscar Tang, Shirley Young and Chien-Shiung Wu to recruit distinguished Chinese Americans from the arts, business, academia, public service, and the sciences to serve on the Committee of 100.

MISSION

The Committee of 100’s purpose is to provide leadership and act as a constructive force in the dual mission of:

• Promoting the full participation of all Chinese Americans in American society and acting as a public policy resource for the Chinese-American community;
• Advancing constructive dialogue and relationships between the peoples and leaders of the United States and Greater China.

WHO WE ARE

American citizens of Chinese heritage are invited to join Committee of 100 based on their extraordinary achievements. Members are pioneers in their respective fields across the arts, science, technology, business and finance. Currently, Committee of 100 has over 130 members.

WHAT WE STAND FOR

• Committee of 100’s members are American citizens who are proud of our contributions to the United States and our Chinese cultural heritage.
• We are an organization of Chinese Americans united by our belief in core American values and the fundamental principles of equality and fairness for all people, regardless of race, religion, national origin, gender, or creed.
• We support the full inclusion and advancement of the more than 5 million Chinese Americans in the United States and believe that America is stronger because of its immigrant heritage and diverse citizenry. We firmly reject all forms of prejudice, intolerance, and discrimination.
• We believe the well-being of all American citizens is affected by the U.S.-China relationship and we encourage Sino-American dialogue and cooperation whenever possible.
• We believe progress occurs when the peoples of the United States and China find common ground and work together to solve the world’s most pressing challenges. We call on both governments and non-governmental parties to behave as responsible stakeholders and collaborate peacefully.
• We believe in a deeper mutual knowledge of the unique histories and cultures of the United States and China to foster mutual understanding and benefits. We are committed to supporting exchanges and cooperation between the two countries to this end, not least in the areas of: business, the arts, education, public health, science, and philanthropy.

Past Committee of 100 Chairs

• Shirley Young  杨雪兰 (1990 – 1996)
• Henry Tang 邓兆祥 (1996 – 2002)
• Robert Lee 李锡辉 (2002 – 2006)
• John Fugh 傅履仁 (2006 – 2009)
• John Chen 程守宗 (2009 – 2011)
• Dominic Ng 吴建民 (2011 – 2014)
• Clarence Kwan 关德铨 (2014 – 2015)
• Herman Li 李渊祈 (2015 – 2016)
• Frank H. Wu 吴华扬 (2016 – 2018)
• H. Roger Wang 王恒 (2018 – 2021)
• Gary Locke 骆家辉 (2021 – Present)