REMARKS To China Energy Fund Committee 2013 Dinner Reception
China Energy Fund Committee
2013 Dinner Reception
Oct 5, 2013
Carnegie Library
Washington D.C., U.S.A.
Remarks
by Prof. Patrick HO
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good evening. I’m Patrick Ho, Deputy Chairman and Secretary General of China Energy Fund Committee – CEFC for short – and your host for tonight’s reception.
On behalf of our Chairman, Mr. Ye Jian Ming, I would like to welcome each and every one of you to tonight’s Dinner Reception.
We’re honored, by the opportunity to stage this dinner reception here in the Carnegie Library, a prominent historic-cultural landmark in the heart of Washington D.C.We are particularly honored that this reception is graced by the presence of so many distinguished and prominent guests from the academic, political and corporate circles as well as from the cultural and social institutions in China and in America. We thank you all.
CEFC is a Hong Kong-based think tank. We are probably one of the first Chinese think tank operating in English to present itself to the American people in the heart of Washington D.C., and to this August Community.
We are a non-profit, non-governmental, non-partisan, privately-funded organization, and have been granted special consultative status by the United Nations Economic and Social Council. We are dedicated to promoting better mutual understanding between China and the international community.
In my previous capacity as the Secretary for Home Affairs of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, I have come to learn that mutual trust and respect are the prerequisites to any conflict resolution. Mutual trust and respect come from a better understanding of each other’s history, culture and social norms, which is why CEFC, apart from addressing energy issues, takes an intense interest in promoting Chinese culture, and values. This also explains why we jumped at the chance to hold this colloquium on issues of Sino-US relationship on American soil which has just been successfully completed this afternoonhere.
Our undertaking to organizing this Fourth Sino-US Colloquium in America, titled “Core Values and World Order”, speaks volumes of our desire to facilitate the building of a new type of relationship between the two governments, the two peoples, and the two countries. We hope that such effort wouldprovide lofty inspirations that acknowledge the importance of diversity, cultivate inclusive societies and thereby spark a new kind of pluralism that engenders peace and fosters harmony.
We make friends easily, but friendship is best maintained by having a common experience. Indeed, one of the ways, and perhaps the best way we believe, to alleviate international tension and resolve political conflict, is for the parties to enter into joint projects and ventures with one another so that they can be busy making success, and not wars! And dare I say that the more joint international projects are initiated, and not just in the business and energy fields, but also in the academic, social, and military sectors, the more solid our bilateral relations would become and less subject to the vagaries of political expediencies.
Friendship, derived from working closely together for aligned interests, is our primary and common concern. After all, the best achievements are shared achievements. When China and the world go into partnership with one another, we come together for a better future and a new tomorrow; a new beginning in which we rebuild the channels of communication, renew our bonding, and restore our confidence in one another.
Every one of us, young and old, rich and poor, yellow and white, Chinese and American, from the cloister in the Forbidden City and the house on the Capitol Hill, has a role to play in building a new harmonious relationship between China and the US.
After all, from great states relationship to a peaceful world order, the common denominator is respect: respect of man’s own spiritual needs, respect of nature's needs, and respect of our fellowmen’s needs, and respect of our future generations' needs.
Ladies and gentlemen, China Energy Fund Committee’s overriding objective is to make friends and foster goodwill.I have learned that respect and goodwill go a long way and are usually returned in kind. The only way we can do that is to be sincere with our intention of embracing one another’s values, so that we can promote mutual understanding, respect, and cooperation for the ultimate benefit of all nations, and of the world.
In closing, I would say, just as Hong Kong is the world’s gateway to China, and China’s to the world, CEFC is your gateway to the Chinese people, and the Chinese people’s gateway to you.
Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy the evening!