Videos from the Event

WELCOME - PRESIDENT STEPHEN ORLINS

2012 Gala Speeches

Honoree Company Videos

3M COMPANY VIDEO

PEPSICO COMPANY VIDEO

2011 Gala Dinner

2011 Gala Dinner - 45th Anniversary

The National Committee on U.S.-China Relations celebrated its 45th Anniversary with a black-tie Gala Dinner on Monday, October 17th at 6:30pm at the Plaza Hotel in New York City.

That evening the National Committee recognized John S. Watson, Chairman and CEO of Chevron, and Robert A. Iger, President and CEO of The Walt Disney Company. Both companies are dedicated supporters of the National Committee and constructive U.S.-China relations. Their long-term investments and philanthropy in China have helped strengthen bilateral relations.

Since 1904, when Chevron first entered China selling kerosene for lamps and home heating, the company has expanded operations in the country with a wide range of businesses, from exploration and production to the marketing of fuels and lubricants. Chevron is being honored for contributing to the development of people and technology and supporting social and educational programs in the communities in China where it works. For over 70 years, The Walt Disney Company has entertained Chinese audiences with world-class creative content across a wide array of businesses. Through projects like the Shanghai Disney Resort, one of the largest foreign investments in Disney history, the Company remains deeply committed to both long-term growth in China and the development of positive relations between China and the United States.

The Gala provides a significant source of support for the National Committee, a non-partisan organization that seeks to promote better understanding between China and the United States by creating opportunities for informed discussions regarding issues of vital importance. This year, more than 450 people, including business leaders, public officials and senior Chinese diplomats, gathered to celebrate the 45th Anniversary and took note of the year’s significant milestones in Sino-American relations.

2011 GALA SPONSORS
Anniversary Chairs Click icon to connect
Leaders Click icon to connect
Benefactors
Patrons Alcoa, Inc. American Express Company Anonymous China Center Clifford Chance Comcast Corporation Dorsey & Whitney LLP Gerson Lerhman Group, Inc. Global Strategic Associates LLC Hearst Corporation Hills & Company Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office IMAX Corporation Johnson & Johnson Jones Day KKR Lenovo Levcor International Mattel, Inc. McLarty Associates National Association of Broadcasters NYSE Euronext, Inc. PepsiCo Pfizer, Inc. Sungate Properties, LLC The Coca-Cola Company Time Warner Inc. U.S. Chamber of Commerce 2011 GALA DINNER COMMITTEE Honorary Co-Chairs The Honorable George H.W. Bush The Honorable James Earl Carter, Jr. Honorary Vice-Chairs
The Honorable Madeleine K. Albright The Honorable Michael H. Armacost The Honorable Jeffrey A. Bader The Honorable James A. Baker The Honorable David L. Boren The Honorable W. Michael Blumenthal The Honorable Zbigniew Brzezinski Mrs. Barbara Bush The Honorable Elaine L. Chao The Honorable Dianne Feinstein The Honorable Barbara Franklin The Honorable Lee H. Hamilton The Honorable Thomas H. Kean The Honorable John F. Kerry The Honorable Henry A. Kissinger The Honorable Winston Lord The Honorable Richard G. Lugar The Honorable John D. Negroponte Mr. I. M. Pei The Honorable William J. Perry General Colin L. Powell The Honorable Joseph W. Prueher The Honorable Clark T. Randt, Jr. The Honorable J. Stapleton Roy The Honorable Robert E. Rubin The Honorable James R. Sasser Professor Robert Scalapino The Honorable Brent Scowcroft The Honorable George P. Shultz The Honorable Richard H. Solomon Professor Stephen Cecil Thomas Professor Ezra F. Vogel The Honorable Paul A. Volcker The Honorable John M. Walker Jr. The Honorable John C. Whitehead

Videos from the Event

Welcoming Remarks from President Stephen Orlins and Toast by Dr. Henry Kissinger

Remarks by Honoree John S. Watson, Chairman and CEO of Chevron

Remarks by Honoree Robert A. Iger, President and CEO of The Walt Disney Company

2010 Gala

At the 2010 Gala Dinner on November 11 the National Committee honored two outstanding companies, Caterpillar Inc. and GE.

To view pictures click here. For speeches and videos from the event, click on the drawer below.

For more than 35 years, Caterpillar has been committed to making sustainable development possible in China. Caterpillar is being honored for its commitment to providing China with clean-energy solutions through engine and turbine technology. For years, Cat machines have been at work building China's infrastructure and, through donations, assisted in natural disaster rescue and rebuilding efforts such as the 2010 Qinghai earthquake.

With more than 100 years of history in China, GE continues to grow its commitment in this rapidly emerging market. GE is being honored for its outstanding corporate citizenship in China– achieved through localization, global business partnerships and a focus on sustainability and healthcare– which serves as a catalyst for strong bilateral relations and strengthens the global economy.

The awards were presented to James W. Owens, Chairman of Caterpillar Inc., and Jeffrey R. Immelt, Chairman and CEO of GE. The black tie Gala took place at The Plaza in New York City.

Huang Ruo, an award-winning composer, conductor, pianist and folk singer (as well as a 2006 Young Leaders Forum Fellow) performed with members of his Future In REverse (FIRE) Ensemble at the Gala. Attendees were treated to selections from Cinema Music Suite, pieces written for traditional Chinese and Western instruments.

The Gala provides a significant source of support for the National Committee, a non-partisan organization that seeks to promote better understanding between China and the United States by creating opportunities for informed discussions regarding issues of vital importance. Each year, more than 350 people, including business leaders, public officials and senior Chinese diplomats, gather to take note of the year’s significant milestones in Sino-American relations.

2010 GALA SPONSORS
Co-Chairs Click to connect
Leaders Click to connect
Benefactors
Patrons Alcoa Barclays Capital Best Buy Co., Inc. Dorsey & Whitney LLP Edelman Exxon Mobil General Motors Gerald Abell Foundation Global Strategic Associates LLC Hills and Company Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office Intel Corporation J.P. Morgan Johnson & Johnson Jones Day Kamsky Associates, Inc. Levcor International McKinsey & Company McMahan Securities Co. L.P. NYSE Euronext Peabody Energy PepsiCo Pfizer, Inc. The Coca-Cola Company The Dow Chemical Company Tishman Speyer Properties, LP Verizon West Legend Corporation
Supporters AEA Investors LP Albright Stonebridge Group AT&T Bechtel Group, Inc. The Honorable Barbara H. Franklin Ken Miller Capital, LLC David Rockefeller The McGraw-Hill Companies 2010 GALA DINNER COMMITTEE Honorary Co-Chairs The Honorable George H.W. Bush The Honorable James Earl Carter, Jr. Honorary Vice Chairs
The Honorable Madeleine K. Albright The Honorable Michael H. Armacost The Honorable W. Michael Blumenthal The Honorable David L. Boren The Honorable Zbigniew Brzezinski Mrs. Barbara Bush The Honorable Warren Christopher The Honorable Lee H. Hamilton The Honorable Thomas H. Kean The Honorable Winston Lord The Honorable John D. Negroponte Mr. I. M. Pei The Honorable William J. Perry General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret) The Honorable Joseph W. Prueher The Honorable J. Stapleton Roy The Honorable James R. Sasser The Honorable James R. Schlesinger General Brent Scowcroft The Honorable George P. Shultz The Honorable Richard H. Solomon Mr. Paul A. Volcker The Honorable John M. Walker Jr.

Remarks

Videos

2009 Gala

At the 2009 Gala Dinner on December 3, the National Committee honored ITT Corporation and Google Inc. at the Mandarin Oriental in New York City.

To view pictures click here. For speeches by the honorees and keynote speaker, click on the PDF links at the bottom of this drawer.

ITT Corporation was recognized for deploying its technology to address water distress following the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, and for its start-up efforts in China under ITT Watermark, a program to provide safe water solutions – new wells, improved sanitation facilities and hygiene education – to schools in water-stressed regions.

Google Inc. was recognized for opening up new horizons for millions of Chinese Internet users through its English and Chinese search engines, giving them access to new technologies and information, for complying locally while operating globally and engaging in a transparent manner in China.

Click on the photos below to view captions.

More than 300 people, including business leaders, public officials and senior Chinese diplomats, gathered to take note of some of the significant milestones in Sino-American relations. It was also an occasion for The Honorable Zhou Wenzhong, China's ambassador to the United States, to address the current status of this important bilateral relationship.

The annual Gala provides a significant source of support for the National Committee, a non-partisan organization that seeks to promote better understanding between China and the United States by creating opportunities for informed discussions regarding issues of vital importance.

Click here to see a slideshow of more pictures from the 2009 Gala.

2009 GALA SPONSORS
Co-Chairs Click to connect
Leaders Click to connect
Benefactors
Patrons Dorsey & Whitney LLP Gerald Abell Foundation Hills & Company Intel Corporation Jones Day Levcor International Johnson & Johnson PepsiCo Tishman Speyer 2009 GALA DINNER COMMITTEE Honorary Co-Chairs The Honorable George H.W. Bush The Honorable James Earl Carter, Jr. Honorary Vice Chairs
The Honorable Madeleine K. Albright The Honorable Michael H. Armacost The Honorable James A. Baker, III The Honorable W. Michael Blumenthal The Honorable David L. Boren The Honorable Zbigniew Brzezinski Mrs. Barbara Bush The Honorable Warren Christopher Mr. David R. Gergen The Honorable Alexander M. Haig, Jr. The Honorable Lee H. Hamilton The Honorable Carla A. Hills The Honorable Michael Kantor The Honorable Thomas H. Kean The Honorable Henry A. Kissinger The Honorable James R. Lilley Mr. I. M. Pei The Honorable William J. Perry General Colin L. Powell The Honorable Joseph W. Prueher The Honorable Clark T. Randt, Jr. The Honorable J. Stapleton Roy The Honorable Matt Salmon The Honorable James R. Sasser Professor Robert Scalapino General Brent Scowcroft The Honorable George P. Shultz Dr. Ezra Vogel Mr. Paul A. Volcker The Honorable John C. Whitehead

2008 Gala

On October 21, 2008, NYSE Euronext CEO Duncan Niederauer and Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson, Jr. were honored for their work with China at the National Committee gala dinner on October 24 in New York City. Secretary Paulson delivered the keynote address to the audience of over 350 guests, and his remarks on the global economy and financial markets, economic relations with China and the U.S.-China Strategic Economic Dialogue were covered by more than seventy journalists from thirty-five media outlets and networks.

Duncan L. Niederauer joined NYSE Euronext in April 2007. Under his leadership, NYSE Euronext became the first non-Chinese exchange to open a Representative Office in Beijing and increased its number of listed companies from Greater China to 57, representing a market capitalization of more than $1 trillion. Duncan Niederauer and NYSE Euronext were presented with two works by prominent Chinese-American artist Weihong, which will be displayed at the New York Stock Exchange.

Secretary Paulson has led the Department of the Treasury since July 2006, and has served as the leader of the U.S. delegation to the U.S.-China Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED) since its inception in 2006. The SED has initiated work on central policy issues that include investment, energy and environmental cooperation, and food and product safety. Secretary Paulson has traveled to China more than 60 times over the course of his public service and private sector careers.

2007 Gala

The National Committee and 400 guests at its 2007 Gala Dinner saluted the contributions of two business leaders for their support of productive U.S.-China relations.

The event, held on the evening of October 24 in New York City, honored Michael T. Duke, vice chairman of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., and Peter G. Peterson, co-founder and senior chairman of The Blackstone Group L.P. As vice chairman of Wal-Mart, Mike Duke has helped expand the range of affordable choices available to Chinese consumers. Pete Peterson, a giant in the field of finance, and his colleagues negotiated a groundbreaking investment by China’s central bank into The Blackstone Group. The work of these honorees’ demonstrates the benefits that flow to both sides of the Pacific through improved U.S.-China relations and increasing business and financial bonds.

Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte was the evening’s keynote speaker. In his remarks, he identified five major challenges that will require Sino-American cooperation now and in the generation to come: combating terrorism; weak, poorly governed and failing states; ensuring continued global economic prosperity; enforcement of non-proliferation norms; and the combined challenge of energy security, economic growth and climate change. He said the administration actively invites China “to play a larger role on the international stage to ensure stability and prosperity long into the future by confronting global challenges together.”

Elegantly beautiful calligraphy was presented to both honorees. The works of art were gifts from Zhuang Zedong, China’s most famous ping pong player and a talented artist. Mr. Zhuang was the leader of the 1972 team that made history by coming to the United States for a month-long tour, sponsored by the National Committee and U.S. Table Tennis Association.

The Gala is an important source of unrestricted support for Committee programs. For the third consecutive year, the Gala raised more than $1 million, thanks to the generous support of nearly 50 companies and dozens of individuals. The National Committee gratefully acknowledges their contributions.

Past Gala Keynote Addresses