China in Washington 2008
Willard Intercontinental Hotel, Washington, DC
November 6, 2008
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The USCPF held its 2008 Annual Gala Dinner on November 6 at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel in downtown Washington, DC. The 2008 dinner was of particular significance as the Foundation celebrated the 30th anniversary of one of the most significant events in the history of Sino-American relations: the normalization of diplomatic relations between the United States and China.
His Excellency Zhou Wenzhong, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China, presided over the evening’s events and delivered the dinner address. Amb. Zhou began his remarks by sharing a letter from Chinese President Hu Jintao to U.S. President-elect Barack Obama. The Chinese president conveyed his congratulations to the newly elected president and expressed his hope that the United States and China will continue to work together to develop strong ties, allowing the nations to more effectively address the array of problems confronting the international community.
The Honorable James Sasser, former ambassador to China and USCPF board member, and Dr. Chi Wang, president and co-chair of the USCPF, also welcomed the guests and recognized the Foundation’s sponsor corporations. The generous contributions of these organizations allow the USCPF to continue established programs and develop new ones in the quest to improve Sino-American understanding.
Sponsors of the Gala included the following companies and organizations:
Amgen
Bank of China, New York Branch
The Boeing Company
China Telecom Americas
The Coca-Cola Company
FedEx
The Hershey Company
The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office
Perot Systems
PetroChina International (America) Inc.
United Airlines
Wanxiang American Corporationt
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(Photos by Kaveh Sardari)
Click here to watch video footage
Event press coverage:
- Washington Chinese News (pdf)
