The Honorable Henry A. Kissinger, Former U.S. Secretary of State
As the main architect of the historic opening of China in 1972, Dr. Kissinger’s efforts have been instrumental in shaping the current U.S.-China relationship. By advocating a policy of constructive engagement toward China and seeking to integrate Beijing into the international system, Dr. Kissinger's efforts were instrumental in creating an economic, diplomatic, and political environment in which China's economic transformation could take place. 

Dr. Kissinger's long and distinguished governmental career includes serving as served as the 56th Secretary of State from 1973-1977; Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs from 1969 to 1975; Chairman of the National Bipartisan Commission on Central America from 1983 to 1985; a member of the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board from 1984-1990; and a member of the Commission on Integrated Long-Term Strategy of the National Security Council and Defense Department from 1986-1988.

At present, Dr. Kissinger is Chairman of Kissinger Associates, Inc., an international consulting firm.  Dr. Kissinger is also currently a member of the Defense Policy Board and serves as advisor to a number of major corporations.

 

The Honorable Max Baucus
(D-Montana)
Senator Baucus has been a strong supporter of relations between the United States and China. The senator has demonstrated his commitment to the bilateral relationship by delivering a statement supporting the president’s recent trip to China and by traveling with the president for that summit. In remarks delivered on June 11, 1998 on the Senate floor, Senator Baucus advocated engagement with China in order to achieve "peace, prosperity and fair trade, and a decent world to live in" for Americans and Chinese. Quoting Henry Ford, he said"Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success."

As Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Baucus has also been a leading advocate of preserving China’s Normal Trade Relations (formerly known as MFN) tariff status while pursuing a results-oriented policy on trade, human rights, and other concerns in Sino-American relations.

The Senator has had a distinguished career in Congress, serving as a representative of Montana from 1974-1978. He was elected to the Senate in 1978 and has been reelected in 1984, 1990 and 1996. The senator holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and a law degree from Stanford University.

The Honorable Dianne Feinstein
(D-California)
Senator Feinstein joined the Senate in 1992, when she was elected to fill the remaining two years of then-Senator Pete Wilson’s term. She was elected to her first six-year term in 1994 and serves on the judiciary, foreign relations, and rules administration committees in the Senate. She pioneered the establishment of "sister cities" with major trading cities in Asia while mayor of San Francisco.

Feinstein joined the board in order to "develop a focus on the key issues in the U.S.-China relationship." She further remarked, "The foundation can play a key role in exposing U.S. policymakers to the people, perspectives and information necessary to make informed choices on important issues in U.S.-China relations, such as Taiwan, human rights, nuclear proliferation, intellectual property rights and trade. By facilitating exchanges and discussions between and among American and Chinese policy makers, academics and other specialists, the foundation can contribute to increased understanding between the two countries and a consensus-building dialogue on how best to approach this most important of relationships."

The Honorable Barbara Hackman Franklin
Secretary Franklin served as the 29th U.S. Secretary of Commerce and was the highest ranking woman in the administration of President George H.W. Bush.  As Secretary of Commerce, she played a pivotal role in U.S.-China relations through her focus on market-opening initiatives in China and other countries that led to a substantial increase in American exports. Her historic mission to China in 1992, at the request of President Bush, normalized commercial relations between the two countries and removed one of the sanctions – the ban on ministerial contact – that the U.S. had imposed on China following the events at Tiananmen Square in 1989.

In her service to five U.S. presidents, Ms. Franklin has held numerous positions in the area of economic and trade policy, including four terms on the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations and as an Alternate Representative and Public Delegate to the United Nations General Assembly.

Currently, Secretary Franklin is President and Chief Executive Officer of Barbara Franklin Enterprises, a private investment and consulting firm headquartered in Washington, D.C.  She provides counsel to American companies operating in foreign markets, notably China.  She has served on the boards of fourteen public companies and is currently on the board of Aetna, Inc. and The Dow Chemical Company, as well as the Washington Mutual Investors Fund.

Senator Chuck Hagel
(R- Nebraska)
Elected to the Senate in 1996, Senator Hagel served on five committees, including the Foreign Relations committee in which he was a Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs, and on the Banking Committee where he serves as a Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on International Trade and Finance.

Sen. Hagel has served as the Deputy Whip and is the recipient of many awards, including the 2001 Horatio Alger Award, and was named one of the "Congressional Power Players" by Congressional Quarterly.

Prior to his election to the U.S Senate, he served as president and CEO of a number of different companies and organizations. He is a Vietnam War veteran and was appointed Deputy Administrator of the Veterans Administration by Ronald Reagan in 1981.


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