CUSEF President James Chau in interview with President Jimmy Carter in Plains, Georgia, October 2017.
December 30, 2024 (Hong Kong): President Jimmy Carter lived a life of milestones, including reaching his 100th birthday on October 1, 2024 — an achievement made all the more remarkable given he had spent almost two years in hospice care. I was privileged to meet and interview President Carter on a number of occasions over the years, and speak with him intimately about his world view, which he had a unique understanding of, and commitment to strengthening U.S.-China relations. Each time we conversed, I saw first-hand how, throughout his century of achievements, the one enduring quality that defined him was his deep concern for and contribution to the human condition.
As a child, he donated five cents a week to support church missionaries, many of whom were working in China at the time. As an adult, his four year presidency and almost 44 year post-presidency was given to resolving global conflicts, combating diseases including Guinea Worm, and helping to build 4,390 homes for families in need with his own hands. With his marriage in 1947 to the late Mrs. Rosalynn Carter, with whom he co-founded The Carter Center, they became equal partners in both life and work.
While it was President Richard Nixon who broke the silence with China when he visited Beijing in 1972, it was President Carter who normalized bilateral relations in 1979 — a historical event in which his personal role is sometimes overlooked.
In doing so, the two countries not only embarked on a modern relationship that helped to end the Cold War together, but created an alliance of 1.8 billion people today that has led the fight against major threats to the health and well-being of the planet. Today, despite serious tensions, President Carter’s legacy continues through ongoing efforts to maintain global peace and security, and fight common challenges from climate change to artificial intelligence.
The manifestation of what is possible has also thrived through the longtime partnership between The Carter Center and the China-United States Exchange Foundation, which is based on the personal friendship between President Carter and CUSEF’s Founder and Chairman Emeritus Mr. Tung Chee-hwa.
When I first met and interviewed President Carter in 2017 in Plains, Georgia, we talked about the importance of global cooperation to fight disease. The announcement last month at our annual U.S.-China Hong Kong Forum that CUSEF will join The Carter Center’s international campaign to eradicate Guinea Worm — only the second disease in history to be eradicated — is a powerful expression to enhance this collaboration, and how our two foundations, one based in Atlanta and the other in Hong Kong, can work together for the lasting good of humanity.
In paying tribute to President Carter’s 100th birthday at CUSEF’s annual meeting, we honored the legacy of his life-transforming work, along with the work of his loving wife and partner Mrs. Rosalynn Carter, that will continue to live through the women and men of The Carter Center.
Today, we join the world in mourning the passing of President Carter, celebrating his extraordinary life, and recommitting to doing our part to support his dream for a more equal and peaceful world. We extend our deepest condolences to his loved ones during this time of loss.