On October 26, 2023, China General Chamber of Commerce-USA (“CGCC”) and CGCC-Houston co-hosted “Common Challenge, Collaborative Response: U.S.-China Business Cooperation,“ the latest event held as part of the signature “The Path Forward Series,” in Houston, Texas. The event gathered over 60 attendees from the U.S.-China business community for an afternoon full of insightful remarks and constructive dialogue.
Mr. Qidi Teng, Chairman of CGCC-Houston; Vice-Chair of CGCC-USA; President of PetroChina International America Inc, welcomed everyone to the event.
Mr. Wei Hu, Chairman of CGCC-USA; President & CEO of Bank of China-USA, delivered opening remarks where he emphasized the impact of Chinese investment both in the U.S. and globally. Mr. Hu also advocated for stronger people-to-people connections in the US-China business community and for a better global economy.
In his special remarks, Mr. Jason Wilson, Director of the US Commercial Service Houston, commented on the U.S. government’s keen interest in attracting global investment and introducing attendees to valuable government resource information, including the SelectUSA Investment Summit
In her special remarks, Ms. Zhenghong Chen, Counselor at the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the USA, spoke highly of the growing engagement between the two countries at all levels and called on both sides to maintain mutual respect. Counselor Chen emphasized that “working together in the same direction is a must, not an option,” as we face the same challenges, including climate change.
The event concluded with a panel discussion moderated by Peter Reisman, Co-chair of the CGCC GR-PR Committee, Managing Director & Chief Communications Officer, Government, Public and Business Relations at the Bank of China U.S.A.
As a follow-up to the launch of the CGCC 2023 Annual Business Survey Report, Mr. Reisman highlighted the report’s key findings and strategic advice.
In the panel discussion, Mr. Zhaojie Zhang, Vice Chairman of CGCC-USA and General Manager of Agricultural Bank of China New York Branch shared his insights on the current state of economic and trade exchanges between the U.S. and China.
Mr. Wally Hsueh, Staff Vice President, International Affairs at FedEx Corporation, who discussed his recent trip to China, shared his insightful observations on the optimistic interactions between the two governments and his outlook on the positive social and economic impact of such interactions at the micro level.
Mr. Philip M. Berkowitz, U.S. Practice Co-chair of International Employment Law Practice Group and Co-chair of Financial Services Industry Group at Littler noted that while it is not appropriate to magnify the cultural differences between the U.S. and China, factors such as social media have created new cultural challenges for companies in the localization process.
The event concluded with a Q&A session where panelists and participants shared their opinions on business localization, employment practices and the nuances of management.
CGCC-USA sincerely thanks the CGCC-Houston team for all of their support of this event and to the event speakers and attendees for their active participation.
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