Homecoming of the Harimaze Byobu

October 23, 2012. New Haven, CT—To help Americans better understand the dynamic relationship between the United States and China, which has critical economic and political relevance to this presidential election, Yale’s Council on East Asian Studies and the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations are jointly sponsoring a roundtable discussion on China and the American election and a live webcast address by U.S. Ambassador to China Gary F. Locke on Monday, Oct. 29.

Part of the sixth annual “CHINA Town Hall, National Reflections, Local Connections,” the twopart free and public event takes place in the auditorium of Henry R. Luce Hall, 34 Hillhouse Ave., beginning at 6 p.m. Because space is limited, those interested in attending these events should contact eastasian.studies@yale.edu to register.

Locke’s address, which begins at 8 p.m., will be webcast to audiences in 60 cities and towns across the U. S., and the webcast will include the ambassador’s response following his talk to questions from audience members nationwide moderated by Stephen A. Orlins, president of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations. The webcast can be viewed live at http://www.ncuscr.org/cth.

The roundtable discussion will be moderated by Yale faculty member in the department of political science Jessica Weiss, and features the following panelists: journalist James Fallows of The Atlantic; Wesleyan University faculty member Erika Fowler who is the director Wesleyan Media Project, which tracks political ads on broadcast television; Yale faculty member and former chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia Stephen Roach and Committee of 100 member Jeremy Wu. The roundtable will explore Chinese investment and trade practices, American attitudes toward China, electoral considerations and campaign dynamics, and implications for U.S.-China relations.

Locke has been U.S. Ambassador to China since August 2011. Previously, he served as the Secretary of Commerce under President Obama. As the point person for the President’s National Export Initiative during that tenure, Locke was responsible for a 32 percent increase in U.S. exports to China from 2009 to 2010. Before his appointment to the President’s cabinet, Ambassador Locke served two terms as governor of Washington, where he helped double the state’s exports to China, and as a partner in the Seattle office of the international law firm, David Wright Tremaine LLP, where he co-chaired the firm’s China practice.

The Council on East Asian Studies (CEAS) is headquartered in the Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies at Yale University. It promotes education about East Asia both in the college curricula and through lectures and workshops, conferences, cultural events, and educational activities open to faculty, students, K-16 educators, and the general public. CEAS has been designated a National Resource Center for the study of East Asian languages and cultures by the U.S. Department of Education. The National Committee on United States-China Relations is the leading national, non-partisan public affairs organization devoted exclusively to building constructive and durable relationships between the United States and China.

Contact Information:

Marilyn Wilkes

The Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies at Yale

(203) 432-3413