CGCC Successfully Hosts 2011 Annual Gala in New York

On Friday, November 18th, 2011, China General Chamber of Commerce – U.S.A. (CGCC-USA) successfully hosted the inaugural session of its Annual Gala Dinner at Cipriani, 55 Wall Street, New York. The event celebrated CGCC-USA’s six years of service to Chinese enterprises in America as well as the 20th anniversary of Bank of Communications’ New York Branch. The theme of the day was “Win-Win Cooperation” in China-U.S. business relations.As CGCC-USA’s first large-scale public annual conference, many dignitaries from both China and the U.S. were in attendance, including Mr. Zeng Peiyan, Chairman of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges(CCIEE) and former Vice Premier of the State Council of China, Mr. Zhang Yesui, Chinese Ambassador to the U.S., Mr. Zhang Guobao, Vice Chairman of the Economic Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Mr. Maurice R. Greenberg, Chairman and CEO of C.V. Starr & Co. and former Chairman of AIG, Mr. Lou Jiwei, Chairman of China Investment Corporation, Mr. Zhou Wenzhong, Secretary-General of Boao Forum for Asia and former Ambassador to the U.S., Mr. Wei Jianguo, Secretary-General of CCIEE and former Vice Minister of Commerce, Madam Ma Xiuhong, Chairman of the China Foreign Trade Center and former Vice Minister of Commerce, Mr. Richard M. Daley, former Mayor of Chicago, Mr. Stephen A. Orlins, President of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, Mr. Li Jiange, Chairman of China International Capital Corporation, Mr. Wei Jiafu, Chairman of China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company(COSCO), Mr. Sun Guoxiang, Consul General of China in New York City, Mr. Hu Huaibang, Chairman of Bank of Communications, and Mr. Chen Feng, Chairman of Hainan Airlines. Over 600 attendees participated in the day long event, representing well-known local businesses, CGCC-USA member companies, Chinese government officials and goodwill ambassadors between China and the U.S.

Mr. Yuan Ning, President of CGCC-USA, and Mr. Hu Huaibang, Chairman of Bank of Communications, delivered welcoming remarks followed by a rousing keynote speech by Ambassador Zhang Yesui. While not in attendance, China’s Minister of Commerce Chen Deming and Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City both sent representatives to give their congratulatory remarks to CGCC-USA.

Various individuals and companies who serve as major players in Chinese-U.S. business and trade relations were recognized by CGCC-USA for their contributions to the field. CGCC-USA presented the Outstanding Contribution Award of US-China Exchanges to Madam Ma Xiuhong, Mr. Maurice R. Greenberg, Mr. Wei Jiafu, and Mr. Richard M. Daley. The Outstanding Member Award of the Year was also presented to select CGCC-USA member companies who have contributed substantially to China-U.S. relations, such as Wanxiang America Corporation, China Construction America, COSCO America, Bank of China New York Branch, China Telecom Americas, ZPMC, Pacific American Corporation and Bank of Communication New York Branch.

CGCC-USA, founded on September 14, 2005, is a federation of chambers of commerce, industry associations and friendship societies that represents Chinese companies throughout the United States. Headquartered in Washington D.C., it has six chapters across the U.S. and six industry-specific subcommittees. Our mission is to serve the overall interests of Chinese companies that do business in America and to bridge the distance between the business communities of China and the U.S. through communication and networking,, thus contributing to the economic and trade ties between the two countries.

CGCC-USA has received great attention from the Chinese leadership. On the afternoon of its commencement, President Hu Jintao met with CGCC-USA directors and member representatives, and pointed out that the organization shall build up its reputation as a civil conduit to enhance U.S.-China trade and economic cooperation, and contribute to Chinese companies’ endeavor to grow bigger and stronger while speaking for their legitimate rights and interests.

CGCC-USA has more than 1,300 member companies, including both big state-owned companies and privately held companies. Our membership is extremely diverse, representing 10 industries such as finance and securities, transportation and logistics, construction and real estate, machinery processing, telecommunication, petroleum and chemical industry, mining, commodities, automobile, and tourism, and scattering in various business domains including raw materials, manufacturing, export, import, wholesaling, finance, insurance, transportation, warehousing, publicizing, exhibition, consulting and sales.

Among CGCC-USA’s members are many prestigious organizations in China and the world at large, who have assumed a critical role in the Sino-U.S. economic and trade relationship, such as Bank of Communications, Bank of China, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, China Construction Bank, Sinopec, China Ocean Shipping Corporation, China Shipping, Air China, HNA Group, China State Construction and Engineering Corporation, SAIC Group, Wanxiang Group, Baosteel Group, CITIC Group. All of them are Top 500 companies in China, among which 32 companies have made their way into the Fortune 500.