China Seminar

Thursday, 10 September, 2015, 12 noon

Maple Garden Restaurant
909 Isenberg Street, Honolulu

$20.00 for Friends of the East-West Center members, EWC and UH students
$25.00 for non-members
Luncheon served after the talk

Xi and Obama Meet: Observations on a More Competitive but Vital Relationship
James Kelly

The relationship of China and U.S. has emerged as the world’s most critical. It is also unprecedented in its complexity. The rise of certain tensions have caused some to question whether a cooperative relationship has moved beyond being competitive to a condition in which it is becoming adversarial. At the same time a powerful paramount leader of China – perhaps matching Deng or even Mao in influence – has taken office at Zhongnanhai in Beijing. This September brings China’s leader, Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China and President of the PRC to Washington for his first State Visit hosted by President Barack Obama. James Kelly will seek to stimulate discussion about some of the possible outcomes from the visit, as well as comment on the many of the larger ongoing issues.

As a frequent speaker and writer about economic and political issues of East Asia and the Pacific, James Kelly has been a think tank head and businessman. Before retiring, he was the Assistant Secretary of State (East Asian and Pacific Affairs) from 2001-2005, under President Reagan (1983-1989) as Special Assistant for East Asia (NSC Staff), and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense. Mr. Kelly was past President (1994-2001) of the Pacific Forum, CSIS, and is the current President of EAP Associates, LLC and a Trustee of The Asia Foundation. He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, National War College and Harvard Business School (MBA), and retired in 1982 as a Captain in the U.S. Navy. He is now
a member of the Advisory Board of Marvin & Palmer, Inc. an equity management firm in Delaware and lives in Honolulu with his wife, Sue.

To RSVP, please call 944-7111 or email friends@eastwestcenter.org.

Click here to download the event flyer.

China Seminar

Thursday, 14 May, 2015, 12 noon

Maple Garden Restaurant
909 Isenberg Street, Honolulu

$20.00 for Friends of the East-West Center members, EWC and UH students
$25.00 for non-members
Luncheon served after the talk

China-US Strategic Philanthropy: Surprising Changes in China
Carol M. Fox

Philanthropy offers an important means of complementing government efforts to address critical economic and social issues in both China and the US.  As the two largest economies in the world, with more than half of the world’s billionaires, China and the US have the capacity to create important international philanthropic and public-private partnerships.  In the midst of historically unprecedented transition, China is working hard to enhance its social services, and recognizes that this calls for the growth of non-profit organizations.  By December of 2014, there were 4,137 foundations in China, compared to fewer than 400 just fifteen years earlier.  This explosive growth underscores the enormous potential of Chinese philanthropy.  At the same time, many leaders recognize that despite China’s long history of charity, modern philanthropy is in an early stage of development.  Future success depends on the government and the private sector establishing stronger non-profit leadership, greater accountability, and more supportive regulatory and tax policies.

Carol M. Fox is Director for Special Projects at the East-West Center. Since 2010, her primary focus has been on philanthropy in China. In partnership with the China Philanthropy Research Institute, she established the China-US Strategic Philanthropy Partnership (CUSP) with the goal of promoting communication, exchange and collaboration between the philanthropic sectors of China and the US to ensure the best use of resources and maximize the benefits to society. Ms. Fox’s professional career has spanned the East-West Center, National Gallery of Art, Bishop Museum, Honolulu Museum of Art, and seventeen years at The Nature Conservancy, where she helped expand their programs from Hawaii to the Asia Pacific Region, and eventually to China.  Before launching The Nature Conservancy’s China Program, she persuaded Henry M. Paulson (then head of Goldman Sachs, later 74th Secretary of the Treasury) and Singapore’s Premier Lee Kuan Yew to co-chair the Asia Pacific Council, the first group of leaders to focus on addressing regional issues of conservation and sustainable economic development.

To RSVP, please call 944-7111 or email friends@eastwestcenter.org.

Click here to download the event flyer.