The Better Hong Kong Foundation has successfully held its annual delegation to the United States this year. Led by the Foundation’s Executive Director Ms. Karen Tang, this year’s members of the delegation included:
– Mr. Daniel Fung, Vice-Chairman of the Salzburg Global Seminar, Board of Governors of the East-West Center, National Delegate of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Chairman of the Broadcasting Authority, Senior Counsel of the Hong Kong Bar, Solicitor-General of Hong Kong (1994 – 98);
– Mr. James Thompson, GBS, the Founder and Chairman of the Crown Worldwide Group and former Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong for 2002 and 2003;
– Ms. Winnie Ng, Foundation’s Council Member and Executive Director of the Kowloon Motor Bus Co. Ltd;
– Dr. Gerald Chow, Foundation’s Council Member and Executive Director of Chow Sang Sang Holdings International Ltd; and
– Mr. Joseph Yu, Foundation’s Council Member and Chairman of the Roseville Group of Companies.
This annual mission to U.S. took place during 15 to 21 June 2008, before the U.S. Presidential Election. Irrespective of whichever candidate succeeds in November, the policies of the incoming President Elect would herald material departures from the present incumbent. With that in mind, the Foundation visited New York and Washington D.C. and took the temperature of all the major players in both metropolises and exchanged views with them. The delegation visited the Executive Branch (U.S. State Department and U.S. Department of Commerce); the Legislative Branch (Congressmen and staffers including those of Senator Obama); think-tanks inside the Beltway (the Brookings Institution, Center for Strategic & International Studies, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, The CATO Institute, The Heritage Foundation, East-West Center, The U.S.-Asia Institute, etc); think-tanks in New York City (The National Committee on U.S.-China Relations and the Asia Society); professional bodies (American Bar Association); financial institutions (Morgan Stanley); rating agencies (Standard & Poor’s) and media representatives.
During the mission, the delegation attended a dinner hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington D.C. for the Chinese delegation of the Strategic Economic Dialogue led by the Vice Premier Wang Qishan. It also participated in public talks and luncheons hosted by the Hong Kong Association of New York, American Bar Association, the Fund for American Studies and the Asia Institute for Political Economy respectively, where Mr. Daniel Fung and Mr. James Thompson gave speeches. The delegation was also invited to luncheons and a dinner hosted by the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China based in New York, the Chinese Embassy to the US, and the Permanent Mission of the PRC to the UN respectively.
Detailed Itinerary:
The Better Hong Kong Foundation Delegation to the United States
June 15-21, 2008
New York ~ Washington D.C.
June 16, 2008 (Monday) New York
Event: Meeting with US Asia Institute Chairman and Co-founder
Attendee:
Mr. Norman Lau Kee, Chairman Emeritus, US-Asia Institute;
Mrs. Esther G. Kee, Co-founder, US-Asia Institute
Venue: The Premier Hotel
Address: 133 West 44th Street, New York, NY 10036
Website: http://www.usasiainstitute.org
Event: Meeting with Standard and Poor’s
Attendees:
Mr. David A. Wyss, Chief Economist & Managing Director, Standard & Poor’s
Mr. Michael L. Privitera, Vice President, Public Affairs, Standard & Poor’s
Mr. Jitendra Sharma, Executive Managing Director, Credit Risk services & Products, Standard & Poor’s
Mr. David Wargin, Communications Manager, Standard & Poor’s
Venue: 55 Water Street, Conc12 New York
Website: http://www.standardandpoors.com
Event: Lunch hosted by the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China for the delegation
Attendees:
Mr. Peng Keyu, the Consul General, The Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in New York
Mr. Kuang Weilin, Vice Consul, The Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in New York
Mr. Li Qingzhan, Vice Consul, The Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in New York
Venue: 520 12th Avenue, New York NY 10036, USA
Website: http://www.nyconsulate.prchina.org
Event: Tea gathering with Asia Society
Attendee:
Dr. Vishakha Desai, President, Asia Society
Mr. Thomas B. Moore, Senior Vice President- Operations, Asia Society
Mr. Todd Michael Galitz, Vice President, External Affairs, Asia Society
Mr. Orville Schell, Arthur Ross Director, Center on U.S.-China Relations, Asia Society
Ms. Yoshie Ito, Senior Program Officer, U.S. Business Programs, Asia Society
Venue: Asia Society – 725 Park Avenue at 70th Street – 5th Floor
Website: http://www.asiasociety.org
Event: Meeting with National Committee on United States-China Relations
Attendee:
Dr. Stephen A. Orlins, President, NCUSCR
Ms. Jan Carol Berris, Vice President, NCUSCR
Venue: National Committee on U.S.-China Relations
71 West 23rd Street, Suite 1901, New York
Website: http://www.ncuscr.org
June 17, 2008 (Tuesday) New York
Event: Meeting with Morgan Stanley
Attendee:
Mr. Richard Berner, Managing Director, Morgan Stanley
Mr. David Lew, Vice President, Private Wealth Management, Morgan Stanley
Mrs. Esther G. Kee, Co-founder, US-Asia Institute
Venue: 1585 Broadway (47th Street entrance), Conference Room 38B
Website: http://www.morganstanley.com
Event: Meeting with Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Columbia University
Attendees:
Prof. Madeleine Zelin, Dean Lung Professor of Chinese Studies, Director, East Asian National Resource Center
Prof. Andrew J. Nathan, Class of 1919 Professor of Political Science
Prof. Robert Barnett, Professor of Contemporary Tibetan Studies, Director, Modern Tibetan Studies Program
Prof. Myron L. Cohen, Professor of Anthropology, Director, Weatherhead East Asian Institute
Mr. James Seymour, Senior Research Scholar
Ms. Waichi Ho, Associate Director, Weatherhead East Asian Institute
Venue: Conference Room IAB 918
The International Affairs Building, Room 918, the West Wing, Columbia University, 420 W. 118th Street (on the corner of Amsterdam Avenue). New York, NY 10027
Website: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/weai/faculty.html
Event: Lunch hosted by the Permanent Mission of the PRC to the UN for the delegation
Attendees:
Mr. Liu Zhenmin, Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary Deputy Permanent Representative, the Permenant Mission of the PRC to the UN
Mr. Liu Yutong, Chief Press Officer, the Permanent Mission of the PRC to the UN
Mr. Pan Xiongwen, 3rd secretary, the Permanent Mission of the PRC to the UN
Venue: 350 East 35th Street, between 1st and 2nd Avenue, NY, NY 10016
Website: http://www.china-un.org
Event: Dinner Talk hosted by the Hong Kong Association of New York
Speaker: Mr Daniel Fung & Mr James Thompson
Attendees:
HKANY & CUHKAA Members and guests
Venue: Chiam Restaurant, 160 E 48th St (between 3rd and Lexington Avenues), New York, NY 10017
Website: http://www.hkany.org/mc/page.do
June 18, 2008 (Wednesday) New York/ Washington D.C.
Event: Lunch and Briefing with Congressman and staffer, hosted by the U.S.-Asia Institute
Attendees:
Host: Mr. Benjamin Wu, President, U.S.-Asia Institute
Mr. Charlie Wilson, Congressman, Ohio
Ms. Jocelyn Hong, Principal, Twenty-First Century Group. Inc.
Mr. Wayne Morrison, Specialist in International Trade and Finance, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division, Congressional Research Service
Mr. Robert Jordan, Senior Advisor, U.S.-Asia Institute
Mr. Kerry McKenney, Legislative Director for Congressman Donald Payne of New Jersey
Ms. Tamar Harrington, Program Intern, U.S.-Asia Institute
Ms. Julie Chon, Senate Banking Committee
Mr. Jay Branegan, House Foreign Affairs Committee Professional Staff, Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Ms. Stephanie Gidigbi, Legislative Assistant for Congressman Donald Payne
Venue: The Twenty-First Century Group Townhouse, 434 New Jersey Ave. S.E.Washington, D.C.
Website: http://www.usasiainstitute.org
Event: Meeting with the Legistive Counsel for Senator Barack Obama
Attendee:
Mr. Ian H. SOLOMON, Legislative Counsel, Senator Barack Obama, Illinois
Venue: Office of Senator Barrack Obama, 713 Hart Senate Office Building
Event: Meeting with the U.S. Department of Commerce
Attendees:
Ms. Michelle O’Neill, Deputy Under Secretary, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce
Mr. Thomas R. Dycus, International Trade Specialist, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce
Mr. Aaron S. Brickman, Director, Invest in America International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce
Venue:14th and Constitution Avenue, N.W. Room 3842, Washington, DC 20230
Website: http://www.commerce.gov
Event: Dinner hosted by the US Chamber of Commerce in honor of PRC Vice Premier Wang Qishan, and the Strategic Economic Dialogue Chinese Delegation
Co-host with the US-China Business Council and the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations.
Attendees:
His Excellency Wang Qishan, Vice Premier of the State Council of PRC
Members of the SED Chinese Delegation
Venue: Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, 2660 Woodley Road, NW, Washington, D.C.
Website: http://www.uschamber.com
June 19, 2008 (Thursday) Washington D.C.
Event: Meeting with the Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies, The Brookings Institution
Attendees:
Mr. Richard Bush, Director, CNAPS
Venue: 1775 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W. Washington, DC 20036
Website: http://www.brookings.edu
Event: Meeting with the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs
Attendees:
Mr. Thomas J. Christensen, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of East Asian & Pacific Affairs and his staff
Venue: 2201 C Street, N.W. Room 6205
Website: http://www.state.gov/p/eap/
Event: Lunch with media, the HK Journalism Fellowship alumni
Attendee:
Mr. Bing Li, Reporter, Sing Tao Newspapers New York Ltd.
Ms. Diedtra Henderson, Communication & Public Affairs, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America
Ms. Sara Kehaulani Goo, Financial Day/Web Editor, The Washington Post
Ms. Reena Advani , Associate Editor, Morning Edition, National Public Radio
Venue: Penang Restaurant; 1837 M Street NW, Washington DC 20036
Event: Meeting with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Attendees:
Mr. Douglas H. Paal, Director and Senior Associate of the China Program
Venue: 1779 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W. Washington, DC 20036
Website: http://www.carnegieendowment.org/
Event: Talk at the American Bar Association
Speaker: Mr Daniel Fung; Remarks by Mr James Thompson
Topic: Hong Kong’s continued competitiveness and its relationship with China
Attendees:
Mr. Aaron Schildhaus, Chair, Section of International Law, American Bar Association
Mr. Michael E. Burke, Williams Mullen
Prof. James V. Feinerman, Associate Dean, International & Graduate Programs, James M. Morita Professor of Asian Legal Studies, Geogetown University Law Center
Mr. Peter D. Ehrenhaft, attorney
Ms. Susan Roosevelt Weld, J.D., Ph. D., East Asian Legal Studies
Mr. Maurice Loo, Deputy Director-General, Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office
Venue: John Marshall Room, 9th floor, the ABA building
740 15th Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20005-1019
Website: http://www.abanet.org
June 20, 2008 (Friday) Washington D.C.
Event: Meeting with the Center for Strategic and International Studies
Attendees:
Mr. Charles W. Freeman III, Freeman Chair in China Studies
Venue: 1800 K Street, N.W. 5th Floor Washington, DC 20006
Website: http://www.csis.org
Event: Meeting with East-West Center
Attendees:
Mr. Charles E. Morrison, President, East-West Center
Ambassador Raymond Burghardt, Director, East-West Seminars, East-West Center in Hawaii
Mr. Satu P. Limaye, Director, East-West Center in Washington
Mr. Mark Borthwick, Director, United States Asia Pacific Council
Mr. Justin Liang, Projects & Outreach Manager, East-West Center in Washington
Mr. Aaron Siirila, Program Associate, East-West Center in Washington
Ms. Barbara P. Wanner, Senior Projects Coordinator, United States Asia Pacific Council, East-West Center in Washington
Venue: 1819 L Street NW, Suite 200
Website: www.EastWestCenter.org
Event: Luncheon Talk hosted by Asia Institute for Political Economy, The Fund for American Studies
Speaker: Mr James Thompson & Mr Daniel Fung
Attendee:
Introductory remarks by Mr. Roger R. Ream, President, Asia Institute for Political Economy, The Fund for American Studies
Mr. Edward J. Turner, Vice President, Development, The Fund for American Studies
Others
Venue: Asia Institute for Political Economy, The Fund for American Studies
1706 New Hampshire Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20009
Website: http://www.tfas.org
Event: Meeting with the Heritage Foundation
Attendees:
Mr. Walter Lohman, Director, Asian Studies Center, The Heritage Foundation
Mr. John J. Tkacik, JR, Senior Research Fellow, Asian Studies Center, The Heritage Foundation
Mr. Harvey J. Feldman, Distinguished Fellow, The Heritage Foundation
Mr. Nicholas Hamisevicz, Research Assistant, Asian Studies Center, The Heritage Foundation
Venue: 214 Massachusetts Avenue, N.E. Washington DC
Website: http://www.heritage.org
Event: Meeting with the CATO Institute
Attendees:
Mr. James A. Dorn, Vice President for Academic Affairs
Venue: 1000 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W. Washington DC
Website: http://www.cato.org
Event: Dinner hosted by the Embassy of PRC to the U.S. for the delegation
Attendees:
Mr. Xie Feng, Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of the PRC to the U.S.
Mr. Zhangping, Minister Counselor (Congressional Affairs), Embassy of the PRC to the U.S.
Mr. Li Liansheng, Counselor, Embassy of the PRC to the U.S.
Mr. Shen Xin, , Embassy of the PRC to the U.S.
Venue: Embassy of PRC to the U.S., 2300 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC
Website: http://www.china-embassy.org
BIOGRAPHY
Mr. Daniel R. Fung, SBS, SC, QC, JP
Daniel R. Fung, the first person of Chinese extraction to serve as Solicitor General of Hong Kong, doing so under respectively Governor Chris Patten and Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa straddling the territory’s reversion to Chinese sovereignty (1994-8), is Senior Counsel of the Hong Kong Bar specializing in constitutional and commercial litigation and the Chairman of Des Voeux Chambers, voted by Asia Law & Practice as Chambers of the Year for 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004 & 2005, and an accredited China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC) arbitrator. Mr Fung serves concurrently as Chairman of the Broadcasting Authority, an industry regulator of television and radio broadcasting in and out of Hong Kong serving as Asia’s media and communications hub.
Mr Fung is Co-Chairman of the United Nations Peace & Development Foundation (UNPDF), President of the International Law Association (ILA) Hong Kong Chapter, Honorary President of the International Association of Industry & Commerce (IAIC), Vice Chairman of the Salzburg Global Seminar (SGS), Vice-President of the Academy of Experts (TAE), Member of the Board of Governors of the East West Center (EWC), Council Member of International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), national delegate to the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Chairman of the China Law Council (CLC), Council Member of China Law Society (CLS), Founding Governor of the China-US Exchange Foundation, Chairman of the International Advisory Board to the Government of Shanghai Xuhui District and member of the Strategic Development Commission of the Hong Kong Government.
Made a Fellow of his alma mater University College London in 2005 where he graduated LLB (1974) and LLM (1978) and a member of Middle Temple since 1974, the English Bar since 1975 and the Hong Kong Bar since 1977, Mr Fung was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1990 and Senior Counsel in 1997. Mr Fung served on the Basic Law Consultative Committee (1985-90) from its inception to promulgation as Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, as Deputy Judge of the High Court (1992-4) and on the Central Policy Unit of the Hong Kong Government (1993-4). Mr Fung was Visiting Scholar to Harvard Law School (1998-9), Senior Visiting Fellow to Yale Law School (1999), Distinguished Fulbright Scholar for Hong Kong to the United States (2000), Visiting Professor to Peking University Law School (2007- ) and to Sun Yat Sen University Law School in China (2004-7), member of the World Bank International Advisory Council on Law & Justice (1999-2005), special advisor to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on corporate governance in China (2001) and on rule of law capacity building in Cambodia and Laos (2000-2), non-executive director of the Hong Kong Securities & Futures Commission (1999–2004) and the Hong Kong Airport Authority (1999-2005). Among various publications, Mr Fung is the Joint General Editor of Arbitration in China (2004) and a contributing author to Democracy & the Rule of Law (2001) and The Confluence of Affluence: The Pearl River Delta Story (2005).
Mr. James E. Thompson, GBS
James E. Thompson, GBS is the Chairman and Chief Executive of the Crown Worldwide Group of Companies. Crown Worldwide is a logistics company performing various types of warehousing and transportation services throughout the world. The Crown Group is the largest privately owned company in the field of international removals with over 200 worldwide locations in 50 countries around the world. Crown is also a leader in the field of document management with over seventeen million cartons of business documents managed from its worldwide facilities.
Mr. Thompson graduated from San Jose State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering. He came to Asia shortly after completion of his university studies and has lived in Japan and Hong Kong ever since. He is a member of the International Advisory Board of the San Jose State University Business School.
The Crown Worldwide Group employs over 4,000 full time staff around the world as well as a large number of contracted personnel. The company has been awarded the prestigious Hong Kong Award for Services in Export Marketing, and received the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce Innovative Services Award twice. Crown has also received the DHL/South China Morning Post International Award as Hong Kong’s best international company.
Mr. Thompson serves as the Chairman of HKTDC Logistics Services Advisory Committee. He is currently a member of the Investment Promotion Ambassador Scheme, a Board Member of Ocean Park Corporation and a non-executive Director of the Board of the Wharf (Holdings) Ltd and a member of TDC HK-EU Business Cooperation Committee. He served as a Council member of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council from 2002 to 2004, a member of the Hong Kong Trade and Industry Advisory Board and a member of the ICAC Advisory Committee on Corruption. He also served two terms as the Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong for 2002 and 2003.
Additionally, Mr. Thompson serves as a member of the Hong Kong Forum and Vision 2047 which are organizations that actively discuss Hong Kong issues with visiting politicians, journalists and academics that visit Hong Kong. He is also a member of the Board of the Hong Kong-America Centre and has been a delegate representing Hong Kong on numerous Hong Kong Trade Development Council trade missions around the world.
Mr. Thompson also serves as Chairman or as a Board member of numerous charitable organizations. His particular interests are charities related to children, cancer and education. He is the member of the corporate fund raising committee of Changing Young Lives Foundation, a member of the Executive Committee of the Society for the Promotion of Hospice Care, is on the Advisory Board of the Salvation Army and a trustee of Outward Bound. He currently chairs the Annual “Hike for Hospice” Charity event.
Mr. Thompson was awarded the Gold Bauhinia Star, Hong Kong’s second highest awards, by the Hong Kong Government in 2003.
Mr. Thompson is a U.S. citizen and a permanent resident of Hong Kong having lived here for 30 years. His wife, Sally is British. His two children Jennifer and James Jr. work for Crown New York and Crown Beijing respectively.
Miss Karen Tang Shuk-tak
Miss Karen Tang was appointed as the Executive Director of the Better Hong Kong Foundation on June 1, 2006. Prior to joining the Foundation, Miss Tang was the Director of Communications of the University of Hong Kong. She was responsible for managing the university’s external relations and internal communications, and reported to the institution’s Vice-Chancellor (equivalent to President in US university system).
Miss Tang has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Science from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and a Master of Arts degree in Public Administration from the University of Hong Kong. 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 7-year 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 (the 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 (the then Chief Executive of the HKSAR) in 2001 as the Director of Administration Division, responsible for the coordination of the election campaign.
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)
Ms Winnie Ng is Director of Transport International Holdings, KMB and Founder of RoadShow Holdings. She won Yazhou Zhoukan Young Chinese Entrepreneur Award in 2003, was named one of China’s 100 Outstanding Women Entrepreneurs and a Mason Fellow of Harvard University in 2006.
She has successfully revamped and rejuvenated KMB’s image and positioned KMB as a powerful out-of-home media sales tool by raising profiles of bus body, bus shelter, and in-bus advertising. Her introduction of champagne gold bus livery has reenergized the 75 year-old brand. She spearheaded listing of RoadShow (stock code: 0888), which business model has been adopted by many companies in HK, China and over the world.
She is also Director of Bauhinia Foundation Research Centre; Director of HK Cyberport; Executive Committee Member of HK Council of Social Service; Council Member of Better HK Foundation; Director of Habitat for Humanity China and Vice Chairman of Council of China’s Foreign Trade, China Council for Promotion of International Trade.
She holds an MBA from University of Chicago and an MPA from Harvard University.
Meeting with US Asia Institute Chairman and Co-founder Left to Right: Mr. Norman Lau Kee, Chairman Emeritus, US-Asia Institute; Dr. Gerald Chow, Council Member, The Better Hong Kong Foundation, Executive Director, Chow Sang Sang Holdings International Ltd; Ms. Karen Tang, Executive Director, The Better Hong Kong Foundation; Mr. James E. Thompson, The Founder and Chairman of the Crown Worldwide Group;Mrs. Esther G. Kee, Co-founder, US-Asia Institute.
The delegation met with Standard and Poor’s.
Ms. Karen Tang presented the Foundation’s souvenir to Mr. David A. Wyss (Chief Economist & Managing Director of Standard & Poor’s, forth from left).