The Better Hong Kong Foundation (“the Foundation”) organised its annual delegation to the United States from 23 to 29 April this year. A press conference was also held on 5 May 2009 to brief members of the local media about the main issues dealt with during their stay in the U.S. Members of the delegation also shared their observations and experiences gained from the trip.
Led by the Foundation’s Executive Director Miss Karen Tang, members of this year’s delegation included guest speaker Mr. Antony Leung, Chairman of Greater China, the Blackstone Group (HK) Ltd and former Financial Secretary of HKSAR; and two Foundation’s Council Members Ms. Winnie Ng, Director of the Kowloon Motor Bus Co. Ltd and Mr. Albert Ip, International Advisory Council Asia of Washington University, St. Louis.
The main purpose of the delegation was to provide an annual update about Hong Kong’s present situation, to share our perspectives on the developments in China, and to exchange views with the interlocutors in the United States and gauge the temperature in the Beltway their views on the developments in Hong Kong, China, U.S. and the China-US relationship especially under the new Obama administration.”
The delegation visited financial institutions (Morgan Stanley and HSBC); rating agency (Standard & Poor’s) and think tanks in New York (National Committee on US-China Relations, Council on Foreign Affairs); the Executive Branch (U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of Commerce International Trade Administration and National Security Council); the Legislative Branch (Senator, Congressman and staffers); think tanks inside the Beltway (Brookings Institution, CATO Institute, Heritage Foundation, US-Asia Institute); and the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Washington DC. The group met with the Senator Jim Webb, Member Senate of Foreign Relations Committee and the Congressman Rick Larsen, Co-Chair of U.S.-China Working Group to brief them on the recent developments in Hong Kong.
During the mission in New York, Mr. Antony Leung gave a speech entitled “China and Hong Kong: Post Financial Tsunami” at the luncheon hosted by the Asia Society. Over hundred people attended. (The speech could be downloaded from the Foundation’s website.) In Washington D.C., Mr Leung made another speech at the Fund for American Studies, sharing his views on the China and Hong Kong’s Economic Outlook. Mr Leung is also Chair of the Panel on the session of “Working Towards Economic Recovery and International Balance” at the Harvard Conference – Power and Restraint: Perspectives on the U.S. and Chinese Relationship.
The delegation were invited to luncheons and dinners hosted by the Permanent Mission of the PRC to the UN (Ambassador Zhang Yesui), the Consulate-General of the People’s Republic of China in New York (Ambassador Peng Keyu), the Embassy of PRC in the US (Minister and DCM Xie Fung), and the Hong Kong-United States Business Council.
The Foundation would continue its dedication in enhancing greater international understanding between East and West by facilitating communications between Hong Kong, China and the international community. The Foundation would endeavour to organise this kind of visits for more exchanges and to promote better understanding to each other.
Itinerary
New York
23 April 2009 (Thursday)
Morgan Stanley
– Mr. Richard Berner, Managing Director, Co-Head of Global Economics and Chief U.S. Economist
– Mr. David Lew, Vice President, Morgan Stanley
Asia Society Speaking Luncheon: “China and Hong Kong: Post Financial Tsunami” by Mr. Antony Leung
“Hong Kong, the once thriving Asian economy is facing a number of challenges including a deep recession in the West, a slowdown in the Chinese economy, and a possible rivalry for its position as an international financial center from Shanghai. Will its hinterland, the mainland of China achieve 8% GDP growth in 2009? Will Shanghai take over Hong Kong’s position, now that the State Council of China has clearly defined Shanghai’s role as an international financial center? Antony Leung, a Senior Managing Director at the Blackstone Group, and former Financial Secretary of Hong Kong will give his view on these and other issues about Hong Kong and China.”
National Committee on U.S. China Relations
– Mr. Stephen Orlins, President
– Ms. Jan Berris, Vice President
30th Anniversary Gala of US-Asia Institute
24 April 2009 (Friday)
Standard and Poor’s
– Mr. Paul Coughlin, Executive Managing Director of Corporate & Government Ratings
– Mr. Michael Privitera, Vice President of Public Affairs
– Ms. Beth Ann Bovino, Senior Economist
HSBC
– Mr. Paul Lawrence, CEO, HSBC Bank USA
– Mr. Marlon Young, CEO, HSBC Bank Americas
– Mr. Jose-Luis Guerrero, Head of Global Markets, Americas
– Mr. Lawrence Dyer, MD, US Interest Rate Strategist
Luncheon hosted by the Permanent Mission of P.R. China to the United Nations
– Ambassador Zhang Yesui, China’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations
– Mr. Li Kexin, Counsellor
– Mr. Qi Qianjin, Counsellor, Chief of Division of Policy Analysis
– Mr. Xu Jian, Councsellor, Deputy Chief of Division of Policy Analysis
Council on Foreign Affairs
– Dr. Elizabeth Economy, Director of Asia Studies
– Mr. Adam Segal, Fellow for China Studies
Dinner hosted by the Consulate-General of the People’s Republic of China in New York
– Ambassador Peng Keyu, Consul General
– Mr. Zhang Haitao, Consul
Washington DC
27 April 2009 (Monday)
CATO Institute
– Dr. William A. Niskanen, Chairman Emeritus and Distinguished Senior Economist
U.S. Department of State
– Mr. David Shear, Director, Office of Chinese and Mongolian Affairs
– Ms. Amy Nicodemus, Foreign Affairs Officer, Office of Chinese and Mongolian Affairs
Luncheon hosted by the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the U.S.A
– Minister & DCM Xie Feng
– Mr. Jia Xiudong, Counselor for Political Affairs
– Ms. Fang Hong, First Secretary
The Heritage Foundation
– Dr. Derek Scissors, Asia Economics Research Fellow
– Mr. Walter Lohman, Director, Asian Studies Center
– Mr. Nicholas Hamisevicz, Research Assistant, Asian Studies Center
Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office
– Mr. Donald Tong, Hong Kong Commissioner, USA
– Mr. Eddie Mak, Director-General
28 April 2009 (Tuesday)
Brookings Institution
– Dr. Richard C. Bush, Director, Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies
– Mr. Kenneth Lieberthal, Visiting Fellow, John L Thornton China Center, Foreign Policy
National Security Council
– Mr. Paul Haenle, Director for China, Taiwan and Mongolia, East Asian Affairs
Harvard Conference – Power and Restraint: Perspectives on the US and Chinese Relationship
– Mr. Antony Leung, Chair of “Working Towards Economic Recovery and International Balance” panel
29 April 2009 (Wednesday)
Capitol Hill Breakfast Forum with Key Congressional advisors
– Mr. Benjamin Wu, President, US-Asia Institute
– Ms. Mary Sue Bissell, Vice President and Executive Director, US-Asia Institute
– Mr. Robert Jordan, Senior Advisor, US-Asia Institute
– Mr. Wayne Morrison, Specialist in Asian Trade and Finance, Foreign Affairs, Defense and Trade Division, Congressional Research Service
– Mr. Andrew Green, Legislative Assistant, Senator Jeff Merkley
– Mr. Jonathan Weston, Senior Policy Advisor, Congressman Brian Higgins
– Mr. Kenneth Nealy, Senior Appropriations Counsel, Congresswoman Barbara Lee
– Mr. Andrew Christianson, Legislative Assistant, Congressman Erik Paulsen
U.S. Department of Commerce International Trade Administration
– Ms. Michelle O’Neill, Acting Under Secretary for International Trade
– Ms. Nicole Melcher, Director, Office of the China Economic Area
– Mr. Thomas Dycus, International Trade Specialist, Office of the China Economic Area
The Fund for American Studies Speaking Luncheon: “China and Hong Kong: Post Financial Tsunami” by Mr. Antony Leung
– Mr. Roger Ream, President
– Mr. Edward J. Turner, Vice President, Development
– Ms. Michelle Jeffress, Director, International Programs
– Ms. Kelsey Strampe, Manager, Asia Institute for Political Economy
The Honorable Jim Webb, U.S. Senator, Member Senate Foreign Relations Committee
The Honorable Rick Larsen, U.S. Congressman, Co-Chair, U.S.-China Working Group
Welcoming Reception and Dinner of Hong Kong-United States Business Council
Bio of Delegates
Mr. Antony LEUNG
Chairman, Greater China
The Blackstone Group (HK) Limited
Antony Leung is a Senior Managing Director of The Blackstone Group, and Chairman of Blackstone Greater China. He oversees all of Blackstone’s businesses in Asia, including private equity, real estate and corporate advisory. He is based in Hong Kong.
Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Leung was the Financial Secretary of Hong Kong from 2001 to 2003. Prior to his appointment as Hong Kong’s Financial Secretary, Mr. Leung had 28 years of financial services experience. He was the Chairman of Asia for JP Morgan Chase based in Hong Kong. Before that he worked for Citigroup in Hong Kong, Singapore, Manila and New York for 23 years in various positions including Country Corporate Officer for China and Hong Kong, Regional Treasurer, Division Head of Investment Banking for North Asia, South West Asia and Head of Private Banking for Asia.
In public service, other than his tenure as Financial Secretary, he has been a non-official member of the Executive Council in Hong Kong, Chairman of Education Commission, Chairman of University Grants Committee, member of the Exchange Fund Advisory Committee, board member of the Airport Authority, Hong Kong Futures Exchange, the Community Chest, member of the Preparatory Committee of Hong Kong Special Administration Region, Election Committee, and a Hong Kong Affairs Advisor.
He is currently independent director of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, vice chairman of the China Bluestar Group, and chairman of Heifer International in Hong Kong. His past directorship included independent director of China Mobile (HK) Limited, American International Assurance Co. Ltd, member of international advisory board of China Development Bank and European Advisory Group.
Mr. Leung graduated from the University of Hong Kong in 1973, and attended Harvard Business School’s Program for Management Development and Advanced Management Program. For his public service in Hong Kong, he was awarded the Gold Bauhinia Star and an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. He was conferred an honorary Doctor of Law by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
Miss Karen TANG
Executive Director
The Better Hong Kong Foundation
(Leader of the delegation)
Miss Karen Tang was appointed as the Executive Director of the Better Hong Kong Foundation on June 1, 2006.
Miss Tang holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Science and a Master of Arts degree in Public Administration. Upon completing her undergraduate studies, she joined the Basic Law Consultative Committee of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region as the Administration Officer responsible for the secretarial work of the Sub-group on Political Structure. After completing the consultation work, she joined the Ming Pao Group, a Hong Kong based media group. During her tenure with the Group, she was appointed to a number of posts, including the Personal Assistant to the Chairman, Administration and Personnel Manager, Business Development Manager, Deputy General Manager of Magazines Division, and General Manager of Yazhou Zhoukan (a regional Chinese Asiaweek).
Miss Tang continued to develop her career in the media and multimedia industries, and has served as Deputy General Manager of the Chinese Television Network, General Manager of the Hongkong Telecom IMS (Interactive Multimedia Services), Director of Multimedia Services and Director of E-commerce under the Hutchison Whampoa Group. She worked for the Tung Chee Hwa Election Office in 2001 as the Director of Administration Division, responsible for the coordination of the election campaign. Prior to joining the Foundation, she was the Director of Communications of the University of Hong Kong, and reported to the Vice-Chancellor.
Miss Tang is now Council Member of the Lingnan University, Member of the Committee on Performing Arts, Council Member of the Hong Kong Macau Research Centre of the Shanghai Academy of Social Science, and Invest Guangzhou International Advisor.
Miss Winnie NG BA, MBA (Chicago), MPA (Harvard)
Director, Kowloon Motor Bus Co Ltd
Council Member, The Better Hong Kong Foundation
Ms Winnie NG is Founder and Deputy Chairman of RoadShow Holdings, Director of Kowloon Motor Bus (“KMB”) and Transport International Holdings. She won the Yazhou Zhoukan Young Chinese Entrepreneur Award in 2003, was named one of China’s One Hundred Outstanding Women Entrepreneurs and a Mason Fellow of Harvard University in 2006, and was the Caring Heart Award recipient in 2009.
She has successfully revamped and rejuvenated KMB’s image, and has positioned KMB as a powerful out-of-home media sales tool in Hong Kong by raising the profiles of bus body, bus shelter, and in-bus advertising. Her introduction of the brand new champagne gold bus livery revitalizes and energizes the more than 75 year-old brand. She founded and spearheaded listing of RoadShow (stock code: 0888), which business model has been adopted by many companies in HK, China and over the world.
Active in public service, she is Director of Bauhinia Foundation Research Centre; Director of HK Cyberport; Director of HK Sports Institute; Council Member of Better HK Foundation; Executive Committee Member of HK Council of Social Service; Director of Agency for Volunteer Service; PR Committee Member of Community Chest; Hospital Governing Committee Member of Queen Elizabeth Hospital, and Advisory Board Member of Habitat for Humanity China. Ms Ng is also Vice Chairman of Council of China’s Foreign Trade, China Council for Promotion of International Trade and Vice Board Chairman of Council of World Market, Shanghai Foreign Economic Relation & Trade Commission.
She holds an MBA degree from the University of Chicago and an MPA degree from Harvard University.
Mr. Albert IP
International Advisory Council Asia, Washington University, St. Louis
Council Member, The Better Hong Kong Foundation
Albert Ip is an international banking and real estate professional, with 32 years of corporate banking, real estate finance, financial institutions, transactional banking and wealth management experiences, of which 22 years are in Asia and 10 years in the U.S. (Citigroup, Wells Fargo, First National Bank of Chicago and Merrill Lynch). He was named Managing Director of Citigroup in 2003. Whilst at Citigroup, he was on the committee of Corporate and Investment Bank – Hong Kong as well as Asia Pacific & Middle East Global Wealth Management. Albert joined Merrill Lynch (Asia Pacific) as Managing Director of Investments in 3/08.
Albert believes in giving back to the community. He was Finance Committee Member of the Community Chest in Hong Kong. Albert participates in mentor/mentee-ship programs in local universities and taught Personal Economics in high schools. He participates in recruiting freshmen for Washington University, Carnegie-Mellon University and Cornell University and is selection committee member of the Danforth Scholar program at Washington University. Albert was guest speaker at Shantou University (China), Lingnan University and Hong Kong University (Hong Kong).
He is currently Advisory Board Member of Lingnan University, Business Studies, International Advisory Council Asia of Washington University, St. Louis and Council Member of The Better Hong Kong Foundation. Albert was Independent Non-Executive Director and Audit Committee Member of Hopewell Holdings Limited and Hopewell Highway Infrastructure Limited, both listed companies in Hong Kong. He was lecturer in University of Pittsburgh’s part-time MBA program.
Albert holds a B.S. degree in Applied Mathematics & Computer Science (Final Honor) at Washington University, St. Louis, M.S. degree in Applied Mathematics at Cornell University and M.S. in Accounting & Finance at Carnegie-Mellon University. He received full scholarships and fellowships from all 3 universities. Albert is a U.S. citizen and is married with 1 daughter.
Meeting with Morgan Stanley
Asia Society Speaking Luncheon: “China and Hong Kong – Post Financial Tsunami” by Mr. Antony Leung
Meeting with National Committee on U.S. China Relations