The Committee of 100 (C100) partnered with the Commonwealth Club of Northern California on March 20, 2017, to showcase two contrasting voices on the topic “The U.S. and China in 2017.”
The two voices came from George Koo, C100 Member and Chairman of the Burlingame Global Foundation, and Howard French, Former New York Times Asia Correspondent and author of Everything Under the Heavens: Empire, Tribute and the Future of Chinese Power.
Moderated by former “Marketplace” Foreign Editor George Lewinski and held at the Commonwealth Club of Northern California in San Francisco’s Financial District, the event drew an audience of more than 200. The two panelists expressed different views on China’s aims. For example, French said that China was clearly making a play for dominance in Asia and beyond. He pointed to the build-up of the Chinese navy and increasing territorial claims to areas like the South China Sea as evidence of this. Koo countered by saying that whatever China’s larger plans may be, following any Western template for global dominance isn’t likely. For the full conversation, check out the audio podcast or watch a video of the discussion, both captured by the Commonwealth Club.
From left: C100 member George Koo, Howard French, and George Lewinski
The event was covered by U.S.-based Chinese language TV network SinoVision (interviews with French and Koo) and DDTV, a Chinese American internet TV channel.
After the event, the speakers, C100 members, and friends convened at the Crystal Jade Restaurant for a private dinner.
Special thanks to C100 members Ken Fong for his generous support and initiation of this speaker series and Dennis Wu for his welcoming remarks and ongoing support of the series. Other C100 members attending included Chairman Frank H. Wu and Ambassador Linda Tsao Yang.
This event is part of C100’s ongoing U.S.-China Policy Speaker Series. In collaboration with the Commonwealth Club of California, the series serves as a platform to promote constructive dialogue on U.S.-China relations in the Bay Area. Held quarterly, these events invite policy experts with contrasting views on China to have a conversation and share their ideas. The goal is to provide nuanced perspectives beyond the headlines on issues that impact U.S.-China bilateral relations with an emphasis on constructive collaboration as opposed to conflict.
From left: former Chair of the Commonwealth Club and C100 board member Dennis Wu, C100 member George Koo, Howard French, and George Lewinski
Audience members talk before the U.S.-China Speaker Series in San Francisco.
Audience members chat at the U.S.-China Speaker Series, held at the Commonwealth Club North California.
The audience included May Koo, George Koo’s wife.
C100 members, speakers, and friends gathered at Crystal Jade for a private dinner after the event. Seated from left: Nancy Pickford, George Lewinski (moderator), C100 member Linda Tsao Yang, Howard French (author), and Ken Fong. Standing from left: Consul Wang, Lisa Spivey, C100 Chairman Frank H. Wu, C100 member George Koo, Don Sun, C100 board member Dennis Wu, Consul Ren, and Joseph French.
