AmCham bridges friends, partners

The American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in China is proud to be a supporting organization of the Asia Society's 18th Asian Corporate Conference in Tianjin.

The mission of AmCham-China, the largest Beijing-based foreign business association, with more than 2,600 members representing more than 1,100 companies, is to support American business interests and promote commercial relations between the United States and China.

Although focused on commerce, much of AmCham's work involves building bridges between the two countries, much as the Asia Society has been doing so effectively for many decades on a broader scale.

We look forward to exploring the issues that will be raised in Tianjin, to hearing from the distinguished roster of speakers and panelists, and to participating in the discussions about the ways that China - and the world - can strike a better balance between economic growth and progress and sustainable development. This is a key issue for enlightened businesses, individuals and governments everywhere, and a cornerstone priority of China's 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-10).

In addition, we are pleased to see Tianjin's continued emergence as a business and financial center. Earlier this year, AmCham-China and the Tianjin municipal government jointly organized a forum on new financial services to support Tianjin's rise as a major financial center.

These are important issues. But among people who are concerned about Asia, today these issues are overshadowed by the tragedy that struck China's Sichuan province just over two weeks ago, and we do not feel this can go unmentioned here. The lives taken by the earthquake, the families whose suffering we can hardly begin to imagine, the vast challenges that lay ahead before order and infrastructure can be returned to normal - these remain at the forefront of our hearts and minds.

For AmCham and its members, China is our home, and the tremendous outpouring of support from our community shows how acutely we feel for those whose lives and livelihoods have been permanently affected. The speed with which our members have come forward with support and donations - which now total close to $60 million - is further testament to the strength of the connection we feel with our host country.

I was invited to enter a message last week in the condolences book that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has set up in the lobby of its Beijing headquarters, an honor normally reserved only for government officials. I would like to share here what I wrote in the book, as it is really an open letter to the Chinese people:

"Please accept our heartfelt condolences and sympathy for the victims of the Sichuan earthquake. We live and work in China, and we stand behind the community in any way we can. The Chinese people have great reserves of strength, courage and resolve, and these qualities will help them endure this trying time and begin to heal. You are in our thoughts."

James Zimmerman is chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China

(China Daily 05/29/2008 page22)