Dr. Henry A. Kissinger was sworn in on September 22, 1973, as the 56th Secretary of State, a position he held until January 20, 1977. He also served as Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs from January 20, 1969, until November 3, 1975. In July 1983 he was appointed by President Reagan to chair the National Bipartisan Commission on Central America until it ceased operation in January 1985, and from 1984 to 1990 he served as a member of the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board. From 1986 to 1988 he was a member of the Commission on Integrated Long-Term Strategy of the National Security Council and Defense Department. He served as a member of the Defense Policy Board from 2001 to 2016.

At present, Dr. Kissinger is chairman of Kissinger Associates, Inc., an international consulting firm. He is also a member of the International Council of J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.; a counselor to and trustee of the Center for Strategic and International Studies; an honorary governor of the Foreign Policy Association; and an honor member of the International Olympic Committee. Among his other activities, Dr. Kissinger served as a member of the board of directors of ContiGroup Companies, Inc. from 1988 to 2014 and remains an advisor to the board, a position he also holds at American Express Company since 2005, after serving on the board from 1984. He is also a trustee emeritus of the Metropolitan Museum of Art; a director emeritus of Freeport-McMoRan Copper and Gold Inc.; and a director of the International Rescue Committee.

Among the awards Dr. Kissinger has received have been a Bronze Star from the U.S. Army in 1945; the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973; the Presidential Medal of Freedom (the nation’s highest civilian award) in 1977; and the Medal of Liberty (given one time to ten foreign-born American leaders) in 1986.

Dr. Kissinger was born in Fuerth, Germany, came to the United States in 1938, and was naturalized a United States citizen in 1943. He served in the Army from February 1943 to July 1946. He graduated summa cum laude from Harvard College in 1950 and received M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Harvard University in 1952 and 1954.

From 1954 until 1969 he was a member of the faculty of Harvard University, in both the Department of Government and the Center for International Affairs. He was director of the Harvard International Seminar from 1952 to 1969.

As Governor, he oversaw the creation of 280,000 new private sector jobs. He also had the most diverse cabinet in state history and over half his judicial appointees were women. His management skills and innovations won him acclaim by nationally recognized organizations, including Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. During his tenure, Washington was ranked one of America’s four best managed states.

As Commerce Secretary, he led President Obama’s National Export Initiative to double American exports; assumed a troubled 2010 Census but which under his supervision ended on time and $2 billion under budget; and achieved the most significant reduction in patent application processing in the agency’s history.

As U.S. Ambassador to China, he opened markets for made-in-USA goods and services; reduced wait times for visa interviews of Chinese applicants from 100 days to 3; and through the Embassy’s air quality monitoring program, exposed the severity of China’s air pollution.

Susan A. Thornton is a retired senior U.S. diplomat with almost 30 years of experience with the U.S. State Department in Eurasia and East Asia. She is currently a Senior Fellow and Visiting Lecturer in Law at the Yale University Law School Paul Tsai China Center, Director of the Forum on Asia-Pacific Security at the National Committee on American Foreign Policy, and a Non-Resident Fellow at the Brookings Institution.
Until July 2018, Thornton was Acting Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the Department of State and led East Asia policy making amid crises with North Korea, escalating trade tensions with China, and a fast-changing international environment. In previous State Department roles, she worked on U.S. policy toward China, Korea and the former Soviet Union and served in leadership positions at U.S. embassies in Central Asia, Russia, the Caucasus and China.
Thornton received her MA in International Relations from Johns Hopkins SAIS and her BA from Bowdoin College in Economics and Russian. She serves on several non-profit boards, speaks Mandarin and Russian, and lives on an organic farm in Maine.

Sean Stein is a senior advisor in Covington’s Public Policy Practice Group. Prior to joining Covington, Sean served as the U.S. Consul General in Shanghai. He has over twenty years of diplomatic experience in Asia and has served in leadership positions in China, Washington, and the region. His insights informed policy making at the highest levels in Washington and he assisted dozens of U.S., Chinese, and international firms to develop strategies, manage risk, and identify opportunities for growth in response to the changing U.S.-China relationship.

Sean, a non-lawyer, is a key resource to businesses on issues related to political risk, public affairs, problem solving, and communications. He regularly assists companies facing acute or long-term issues to resolve them, often through discussions with U.S. and Chinese government officials. He is well placed to provide strategic advice to U.S. and international clients on issues relating to securing market access and protecting investments in China, assessing risk, navigating trade controls, sanctions, and supply chain restrictions, and resolving disputes and regulatory investigations.

Born in 1937, Madam Zhou Bingde is the eldest daughter of Zhou Enlai's brother, Mr. Zhou Enshou. She lived in the house of Premier Zhou Enlai for more than a decade and was exposed to how Zhou Enlai and Deng Yingchao approached their life and work.

Madam Zhou Bingde was a member of the 9th and 10th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and Vice President of China News Service. She is currently the founding president of the Enlai Foundation, executive director of the China Council for the Promotion of Peaceful National Reunification, and advisor to the Zhou Enlai & Deng Yingchao's Research Center.

Eric Zheng is the President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai since 2022. Eric is well known to AmCham Shanghai. He has been involved in the Chamber for over 15 years as a member, committee leader, Board member, Board treasurer, Board secretary, and Board vice chair, and Board chair (2018 and 2019).

Eric brings a unique combination of private and public sector experiences to the presidency. He worked in management consulting with PwC in the U.S. and later served for the U.S. Department of Commerce as the principal commercial officer at the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou. Eric had a long career with AIG in Greater China and held a series of positions that culminated in his service as CEO of AIG China. He then chaired the board of Heng An Standard Life Insurance Company.

In volunteer roles, Eric serves as the Greater China regional chair of the Committee of 100 and as a board director of Shanghai Make-A-Wish Charity Foundation. The Shanghai municipal government has granted Eric its Magnolia Gold Award in recognition of his significant contributions to the city. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Fudan University and an MBA from Georgetown University.

Beatrice Camp’s 32-year career as a foreign service officer was evenly split between the U.S. Information Agency and the U.S. Department of State, with assignments in Beijing, Bangkok, Stockholm, Budapest, Chiang Mai, Shanghai, and Washington, D.C. With her appointment in Shanghai, Ms. Camp became the first woman, and the first public diplomacy officer, to lead a U.S. consulate in China. In addition, she twice managed U.S. participation in major world’s fairs – Shanghai Expo 2010 and Milan Expo 2015 -- and served as senior advisor at the Smithsonian.
Before joining the foreign service, Ms. Camp taught English at Chiang Mai University in northern Thailand, worked as a journalist in Washington, D.C., and helped pioneer the first electronic news service at Dow Jones in New York. She is currently editor of American Diplomacy, an online journal focused on international relations and foreign service life.
Ms. Camp received her bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College

Steve Orlins has been president of the National Committee since 2005. Prior to that, he was the managing director of Carlyle Asia and the chairman of the board of Taiwan Broadband Communications, one of Taiwan's largest cable television and high speed internet providers. Prior to joining Carlyle, Mr. Orlins was a senior advisor to AEA Investors Inc., a New York based leveraged buyout firm, with responsibility for AEA's business activities throughout Asia.

From 1983 to 1991, Mr. Orlins was with the investment banking firm of Lehman Brothers where he was a managing director from 1985 to 1991. From 1987 to 1990, he served as president of Lehman Brothers Asia. Based in Hong Kong, he supervised over 150 professionals with offices in Hong Kong, Korea, China, Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines, and Singapore. Prior to joining Lehman Brothers, Mr. Orlins practiced law with Coudert Brothers and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison in New York, Hong Kong, and Beijing.

From 1976 to 1979, Mr. Orlins served in the Office of the Legal Advisor of the United States Department of State, first in the Office of the Assistant Legal Advisor for Political-Military Affairs and then for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. While in that office, he was a member of the legal team that helped establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China.
Mr. Orlins is a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard College and earned his law degree at Harvard Law School. He speaks Mandarin Chinese and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

In 1992, Mr. Orlins was the Democratic nominee for the United States Congress in New York's Third Congressional District.

Born in 1954, Dr. Huang has served successively as Vice President of Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences (SASS), Dean of SASS Research Institute of History and Vice President of the Shanghai Center for International Studies. He is currently Distinguished Research Fellow at the Cross-strait Research Center under the Taiwan Affairs Office of the state Council, member of the Policy Advisory Expert Group of Shanghai Municipality, Vice President of the Shanghai American Society, Vice President of Shanghai Association for International Studies, Vice President of the Shanghai Taiwan Research Society, Executive Director of the All-China American Economic Association, Director and Executive Director of the All-China American Historical Society, Director of Pudong American Economic Research Center, and Deputy Director of the Shanghai Center for International Studies.

Kenneth Jarrett, based in Shanghai, is a Senior Advisor at Albright Stonebridge Group, where he draws on decades of business and diplomatic experience in China and across East Asia to provide perspective and advice to businesses, investors, and other organizations with interest in the region.

Most recently, Mr. Jarrett spent five years as President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai. Under his leadership, the Chamber helped hundreds of companies establish and grow their networks in China and navigate operational and regulatory challenges.

Previously, Mr. Jarrett was a distinguished diplomat whose positions included service as Consul General in Shanghai, and as Deputy Consul General in Hong Kong. His 26-year foreign service career also included postings in Beijing, Chengdu, and Singapore. His government roles in Washington, D.C, included serving as Director of Asian Affairs at the White House National Security Council. Following his government service, Mr. Jarrett served as Chairman of Greater China for APCO Worldwide.

Mr. Jarrett is a frequent commentator on the business environment in China, and he has been quoted in outlets including Bloomberg, the Economist, the Financial Times, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal, among others.

He is the recipient of the Magnolia Award (Silver) from the Shanghai government and is a member of the National Committee for U.S.-China Relations.

Mr. Jarrett earned an M.A. in East Asian Studies from Yale University and an M.A. in National Security Studies from the National War College. He received a B.A. in History from Cornell University. He speaks Mandarin Chinese.

Christine Lam is Chief Executive Officer of Citi in the People’s Republic of China. She is responsible for all of Citi’s businesses and franchise operations in China and is based in Shanghai. Ms. Lam is also President of Citibank (China) Co., Ltd., Citi's locally incorporated bank in China.

Ms. Lam was previously Head of Operations and Technology for Citi in Asia Pacific responsible for Operations, Technology and Shared Services functions that support Citi's businesses across 16 markets in Asia. She also provided oversight for the Global Citi Service Centers in Singapore, Philippines, China, Malaysia and India.

Ms. Lam joined Citi in 1983 and since then has held numerous and diverse management positions in Hong Kong, Canada and Asia Pacific regional roles. In the early 1990s, she spearheaded Citi's securities services business ventures in the China B-Share market before she moved on to run the Citi Transaction Services business in Hong Kong.

Jeffrey S. Lehman is the founding vice chancellor of NYU Shanghai, the first “Sino-American Joint University.” He has previously been founding dean of the Peking University School of Transnational Law, president of Cornell University, dean of the University of Michigan Law School, a tenured professor of law and public policy at the University of Michigan, a practicing lawyer in Washington, D.C., and a law clerk to Chief Judge Frank Coffin of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and to Associate Justice John Paul Stevens of the U.S. Supreme Court.

He has served on the boards of many global organizations that share his commitments in the fields of higher education, law, and technology. In the business world, he has served as an independent director on the boards of Infosys, Ltd., and Starr Property & Casualty Insurance (China) Co., Ltd. In the not-for-profit world, he has served as board chair of Internet 2, as president of the American Law Deans Association, and as a trustee of both Access Health International and the Skadden Fellowship Foundation. In the world of government service, he has served as a member of the U.S. delegation to the China-U.S. Legal Experts Dialogue and as a member of the Planning Committee for President Clinton’s 1999 “Call to Action” to the legal profession. His honors include the Friendship Award from the People’s Republic of China, the Gold Magnolia Award from the City of Shanghai, and the National Equal Justice Award from the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. In 2018, China named him one of the 40 most influential foreign experts during the country’s 40-year period of reform and opening up.

Most recently, Mr. Lehman served as Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai from 2020-2021.

Roberta Lipson is CEO and founder of United Family Healthcare (UFH) and the CEO of New Frontier Health (NYSE:NFH). She has over 40 years of experience as a pioneer in the healthcare industry in China. She originally co-founded United Family Healthcare’s predecessor company Chindex in 1981, expanding the business from China’s top medical equipment distribution company into China’s first and largest foreign-invested healthcare system. After almost two decades, UFH has established itself with hospitals and clinics in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Tianjin, Qingdao, and Hangzhou, as the provider of choice for those seeking premium, personalized healthcare.

Ms. Lipson is an active leader in the business community in Beijing, currently serving for the seventh year as a director of the U.S. China Business Council, as well as her fifth term on the Board of Governors of the American Chamber of Commerce in China (AmCham), and as Co-Chair of the AmCham Healthcare Forum and founding Chair of US-China Healthcare Cooperation Program (HCP). She also chairs the Board of the United Foundation for China’s Health (UFCH), and is a co-founder of Beijing’s Jewish Community - Kehillat Beijing. Because of her outstanding contribution in China, Roberta Lipson received “The Great Wall Friendship Reward” in 2009, the highest honor that the Beijing government gives to foreign experts in Beijing. In 2014 Roberta was honored by AmCham as the inaugural recipient of the China Pioneer Award. She was named as a “Top 10 Business Leader of China” by Sina.com in 2015, and earlier she led the company to win the U.S. State Department ACE Award for Corporate Excellence. With 40 years living and working in Beijing, in 2017 Ms. Lipson received her Foreign Permanent Resident Card. Ms. Lipson holds a BA from Brandeis University and an MBA from Columbia University.

Walter Liu is Chief Executive Officer of Express (Hangzhou) Technology Service Co., Ltd. - a joint venture formed between American Express and LianLian, which is also the first Sino-foreign bankcard clearing institution licensed by the People’s Bank of China to process renminbi transactions in China.

In his role, Mr. Liu is responsible for leading the business, and crafting the commercial strategies necessary for American Express and the joint-venture to operate successfully.

Mr. Liu is a seasoned risk management veteran with 18 years of experience at American Express where he managed partner, consumer and commercial payments risk management in markets around the world.

Prior to his current role, Mr. Liu was Chief Risk Officer, Asia Region and International Commercial Payments based in Hong Kong. He oversaw and developed the end-to-end risk management strategy, network and data capabilities across Asia and across all markets for commercial payments outside of the United States. In his past 12 years in Asia, he had built a strong risk management team and led the partnerships with FinTech start-ups, credit bureaus and bank partners to drive business growth in the region.

Mr. Liu holds both Bachelor and Master’s degrees in engineering, as well as a Master of Business Administration from the University of Michigan in the United States.