NEW YORK, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- China General Chamber of Commerce - USA (CGCC) launched CGCC Strategic Advisory Council (hereinafter referred to as Council) on Wednesday, aiming to better service U.S.-China business cooperation.
"CGCC is playing a much more important role with expanded membership and greater influence (in the United States)," Chairman of CGCC Xu Chen, who also serves as president and CEO of Bank of China USA, said at the CGCC's Chinese Lunar New Year of Dog Gala.
As the bridge building partner of China-U.S. business communities, the key objective of the Council is to support CGCC's mission, vision and growth, Xu added.
At the gala, the CGCC announced that EY U.S. Chairman and Americas Managing Partner Steve Howe, President of Boeing International Marc Allen, and Group General Manager and Chief Executive Officer, HSBC Global Banking and Markets, Americas, Thierry Roland serve as the three founding members of the Council.
Howe visited China for the first time as early as 1982. Witnessing the tremendous transform of China during the past decades, he believes one thing remains unchanged -- the Chinese people's warmth, hospitality, and the spirit of entrepreneurship.
When giving his speech, Roland emphasized on the significance and success of the Belt and Road initiative, and recognized China's leadership in many ongoing issues around the globe.
Honorary Chairman of CGCC, Vice-Chairman of the 12th CPPCC National Committee Tung Chee-Hwa pointed out at the gala that China-U.S. relationship is no longer based on economic cooperation only, people-to-people exchanges have been playing a more and more important role in promoting the relationship between the two nations. He believed that China and the United States "have every reason to work together."
Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai, one of the keynote speakers of the event, emphasized that among all the partnerships, the relationship with the United States is most significant and consequential to China and "what China seeks is global partnership not global dominance." China will continue to play a leading role for making greater contribution to the global community.
The annual Gala brought together over 450 uppermost business leaders, government officials, and researchers from China and the United States in support of CGCC's growth, its expanding partnership, and the even more prosperous U.S.-China business relationship.
At the gala, Stephen Schwarzman, Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder of Blackstone, was honored "Goodwill Ambassador for China-U.S. Exchange" Award; Marc Holliday, CEO of SL Green Realty, was honored "The Most Influential Real Estate Person of the Year"; HNA Group was honored "Brand of the Year"; Greenland Group was honored "Outstanding Community Contribution" Award.
Founded in 2005, CGCC has been recognized as the largest and most influential non-profit organization representing Chinese enterprises in the United States. CGCC's membership consists of more than 1,500 companies, including both Chinese and non-Chinese companies, with Chinese member companies employing over 200,000 people throughout the United States as of the end of 2016.
