2006 Conference Co-Chairs || Jenny Ming, Anthony Sun, Jerry Yang and Albert Yu
BACKGROUND || The Committee of 100 was founded in early 1990 to speak out on behalf of Americans of Chinese heritage, both on domestic and international issues. The idea for the Committee came from the famed architect, I.M. Pei, who was inundated with calls from reporters seeking his reaction, as an influential Chinese American, to the Tiananmen Square incident in June 1989. Pei felt that no single individual could adequately represent the Chinese American perspective, and instead envisioned a group of prominent Chinese Americans joining together to serve as a strong voice for the Chinese American community. By the end of 1990, the core group of I.M. Pei, Yo-Yo Ma, Shirley Young, Oscar Tang, Henry Tang, and Chien-Shiung Wu had recruited distinguished Chinese Americans from the arts, business, academia, public service, and the sciences to serve on the Committee of 100. The founders determined that the Committee would be non-political, but would not shy away from taking stands in the political arena. In fact, many of the issues addressed by the Committee deal with public policy, including foreign relations, trade policy, civil rights, and social justice. As a non-partisan organization, the Committee's stance on these issues are independent; not aligned with any political party in the United States, or with any government in Asia. "Seeking common ground while respecting differences" is the precept guiding all Committee actions. As Americans of Chinese descent, including American-born and naturalized citizens, Committee members share a natural desire for mutual understanding and peaceful relations between the peoples of the United States and Greater China. With more than 15 years of activity behind it, the Committee is well known to government leaders in both the U.S. and China, and is frequently featured in the news regarding its involvement in issues pertaining to Asian Americans and Sino-U.S. relations. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Committee of 100 will be holding its 15th Annual Conference on April 20-22, 2006 in San Francisco, CA at the Four Seasons Hotel in San Francisco. This two and a half-day conference, with expected attendance of over 700 guests, will provide a forum to discuss key issues related to U.S.-China political and trade relations. This year's conference theme is "A View From the Bridge." Our gala banquet will take place on Friday evening, April 21, 2006. At the Gala Dinner, New York Times columnist, Thomas Friedman, will be present to receive the Headline Award, while Asia Society Trustee Gina Chu and Union Square Investment Company President Leslie Tang Schilling will be honored with the Philanthropy/Community Service Awards. Former NASA astronaut, Leroy Chiao, will also be honored with a Public Service Award. Deloitte and Touche USA LLP will be recognized with the Business Excellence Award. We will have exciting panels on current issues ranging from the latest in U.S.-China bilateral political and trade relationships as well as focus strongly on business, with an emphasis on technology. We sincerely hope you will be able to join us for our 15th Annual Conference and engage in dialogue with us around issues of common concern. |
