Dear Friends,

This time last week, international leaders gathered in Hong Kong for the first bilateral event globally since the U.S. presidential election. The 5th U.S.-China Hong Kong Forum was a resounding expression of openness, critical thinking and, uniquely, bipartisan representation.

CUSEF, alongside our co-organizers at the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, overcame a typhoon that cleared mere hours before the start of the Forum, as nothing could prevent the participants from coming together to co-create an agenda aimed at resetting the narrative, renewing trust, and strengthening ties between the two nations.

We were deeply honored to be in the room when Jean Salata delivered a moving address on the climate crisis, reminding us that "energy is a basic human right" and that five billion new people will be needing electricity, which must be balanced with decarbonization efforts. Mr. Salata, for whom The Salata Institute at Harvard University is named, was joined by an esteemed lineup of business leaders including Joseph Tsai, Chairman of Alibaba; Victor Fung, who moderated the high-level dialogue; and Ronnie Chan, who gave a heartfelt tribute to Henry Kissinger, a CUSEF Honorary Adviser until his passing 12 months ago.

Click on the following links to watch speeches by Ambassador Xie Feng and Ambassador Nicholas Burns, who once again helped open the meeting. Alongside them was Ambassador Charlene Barshefsky, as well as Vice Minister Lu Kang who was participating in the Forum for the first time. You can view all the speakers on our website, but we would like to make special mention of Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus who united us with his vision as leader of Bangladesh.

You can relieve these extraordinary few days through our photo gallery. As we approach the end of another year, I am reminded of our Founder, Mr. Tung Chee-hwa, who always says: "Tomorrow will be better than today."

Let's carry that spirit forward and get to work.

James Chau
President

China-United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF)