
April 5, 2019
In our 2021 virtual conference, Committee of 100 brought together titans of industry, thought and opinion leaders and leading experts from around the world to discuss the future landscape of relations between the U.S. & China. From technology to education to finance, the virtual format featured insightful panels and keynote presentations, breakout discussions, and interactive exchanges, which provided unparalleled analysis and forecast for a post-COVID era. Our packed schedule showcased “Possibilities: US-China Relations in the New Era,” and elevated important topics on the U.S.-China relationship and the Chinese-American community. As the world reemerges from the global pandemic, the 2021 virtual conference discussed the possibilities that lie ahead.
All timings are listed in EST. Speakers with * indicate a Committee of 100 Member.
7:00 PM – Opening Remarks
7:15 PM – Keynote Address
7:25 PM – Networking Break
7:30 PM – Global Supply Chains in Transition
In the wake of trade wars and COVID-19, countries around the world are re-evaluating their supply chain strategies. Should they continue to maximize efficiency by relying on the most cost-effective supplier(s) with minimum inventory levels or should they focus more on sustainability by diversifying their suppliers even at the expense of efficiency? Has globalization in supply chains gone too far? Is self-reliance the right approach to sourcing products with strategic implications? How should we structure our supply chains so as to achieve a fine balance between efficiency and sustainability? In this panel, executives from Corning, TE Connectivity, and McKinsey shared their insights on global supply chain strategies.
7:30 PM – Cross-Border Trade & Investment Trends
The geopolitical relationship between the U.S. and China has directly impacted the private sector’s ability to invest globally. However, despite any tensions, some interesting trends have emerged from the pandemic era. China was the world’s top destination for new foreign direct investment (FDI) last year, and China’s gross domestic product even grew as many other major economies contracted in 2020. Executives from Avenue Capital Group, Eurasia Group / GZERO Media, and JP Morgan took to Committee of 100’s virtual stage shared what can be made of these trends on cross-border M&A and overseas investment trends. This session also discussed how the relatively early financial integration between these two countries faces powerful policy headwinds ahead.
8:25 PM – Networking Break
8:40 PM – Finding and Funding Innovation in Technology
The past year has spurred massive accelerated digitization of daily lives. From working from home to social media use to virtual events, the pandemic impacts on technology adoption have been felt worldwide. This interconnected world has allowed technology companies to gain significant market share globally. American and China-based tech firms have specifically been hotspots for this internet innovation. Top minds in technology investing identified growth trends they’ve seen in 2020 and shared how these expected trends will shape the relationship between China and the US in the future.
8:40 PM – Global Lessons: Education in an Increasingly Connected, Complex World
Education has always served as an effective conduit to promote understanding between cultures, communities and even nations. Over the past few years, however, the impacts of the heightened tension within US-China relations have reverberated across campuses in a variety of ways both in the US and in China. More recently coupled with COVID-related travel and on-campus restrictions, the impact will surely be felt after classrooms fully re-open. How will these disruptions shape how exchange programs exist moving forward and what are the ramifications for the cultural and knowledge sharing that once took place? We discussed with several institutional leaders and educators why education remains a critical pillar of citizen diplomacy, and how students are being impacted by this changing environment.
9:45 PM – Shirley Young Tribute
9:55 PM – Closing Remarks
7:00 PM – Opening Remarks
7:05 PM – Medical Marvel: Public Health’s Progress in the Face of the Pandemic
As the world makes steps toward recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, the health care sector is still recuperating from the devastating toll on its infrastructure and workforce. Vaccination rates are still trying to keep up with infections, while spreading variant strains add further complexity to the situation. How do medical professionals continue progress through political tensions and a rise in violence against many of its Asian-American medical staff? Three experts at Novartis, Kaiser Permanente and Univ. of Connecticut School of Medicine shared what lies ahead beyond coronavirus.
7:05 PM – Economy and the Financial Market
When lockdown mandates hit the world in early 2020, few of us knew what it meant to our work and personal lives nor how long it would last. Now more than a year into it, we certainly learned how to adapt. But what does the future hold for economic rebound or even growth? In this session, leading financial economists and market forecasters discussed how 2020 and the first quarter of 2021 have gone for the financial sector and what indications we have for financial performances for the rest of the year.
8:00 PM – Champions & Heroes: The Role of Sports & Entertainment in Shaping Perceptions
Despite its positive overtones, the “Model Minority” stereotype has become a double-edged sword for many Asian Americans. Not only does the restrictive nature of these historic pursuits deprive young people of the freedom to pursue their dreams in areas outside of these traditional disciplines, it also creates voids of representation in critical areas of society and ultimately skews perceptions of Asian Americans in everyday society. This reinforces the stereotype and makes Asian Americans’ struggles, pains, and aspirations invisible and easily ignorable. This panel explored the experiences and perspectives of three unique individuals who have taken unconventional paths in sports and arts and whose decisions have had a meaningful impact on the way the rest of the society now views Asian-Americans.
8:55 PM – Networking Break
9:00 PM – The Possibilities – US-China Relations on an Uncharted Frontier
With an unprecedented percentage of Americans saying China stands as the greatest competitor of the US, and similar sentiments of the US being held by Chinese citizens, even after the recent high-level meetings in Alaska, relations under the new Biden Administration remain uncertain. With China set to eclipse the U.S. economy in size within a decade, disagreements over international norms, geopolitical control, intellectual property, and national sovereignty only exacerbate the tensions between the two. How are reemerging alliances such as the Quad reshaping the regional dynamics and what are the potential scenarios that could unfold? What is the likelihood that Taiwan could become a military flashpoint and how do the two countries set up the necessary guard rails to prevent a military conflict? Most importantly, how do the two get back to the issues of “common concerns” such as disease preparedness, nuclear non-proliferation, and climate change, all issues that can only be solved with the cooperation of these two nations? With an esteemed set of veteran diplomats and experts, this panel set out to explore the most pressing considerations facing US-China relations today and the possibilities moving forward.
9:55 PM – Closing Remarks
All timings are listed in EST. Speakers with * indicate a Committee of 100 Member.
May 11, 2021 – May 12, 2021
Virtual Conference