Chicago, IL—The Paulson Institute today announced that it will co-host a U.S.-China Business Roundtable comprised of 15 U.S. CEOs and 15 Chinese CEOs on September 23, during the Seattle portion of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s upcoming state visit to the United States. President Xi will attend the meeting and deliver a policy speech. Paulson Institute Chairman Henry M. Paulson, Jr. will moderate a discussion with the business leaders.
Hosted in partnership with the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), the roundtable will provide an opportunity for U.S. and Chinese business leaders representing a broad range of industries to discuss issues, challenges and opportunities facing the two countries and explore ways to strengthen the U.S.-China business and economic relationship.
“I am pleased that the Paulson Institute will co-host what I believe will be a frank and constructive exchange of experiences and ideas between business leaders from both countries during President Xi’s visit,” said Paulson Institute Chairman Henry M. Paulson, Jr. “This is an important opportunity for conversation about the U.S.-China business relationship, China’s economy, and the future of Chinese reforms.”
Additionally, in the lead-up to President Xi’s state visit, the Paulson Institute is pleased to have helped coordinate the development of the U.S.-China Building Energy Efficiency Fund, announced by the Chinese government today in Beijing. The intent of this initiative is to enable and accelerate the deployment of U.S. technology and expertise in the Chinese market to substantially reduce CO2 and other climate-related emissions, while improving energy efficiency, promoting industrial productivity, encouraging cross-border innovation, and creating green jobs. While the details of the funding mechanism remain to be worked out, leading U.S. and Chinese financial institutions, industrial firms, and real estate companies have begun negotiations about how to structure this new venture.
Climate change mitigation is a key area of cooperation between the two countries following the landmark accord signed by President Obama and President Xi at the APEC Summit in Beijing in November 2014. It continues to be an issue of shared interest between the United States and China and a main topic of President Xi’s visit. Efforts to address climate change and promote sustainable urbanization are also central to the Paulson Institute’s mission.
“Our intent is to develop an innovative financing model that helps bridge the often higher upfront costs for sustainable technologies balanced against the long term savings resulting from increased energy efficiencies. This initiative will promote the deployment of U.S. green technologies in China and create a platform for U.S. and Chinese companies to work together to tackle one of the world’s greatest challenges, climate change,” said Deborah Lehr, a Senior Fellow of the Paulson Institute, who leads this initiative for the Paulson Institute.
U.S. companies including Warburg Pincus, Dow, Honeywell, Johnson Controls, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, General Electric, Blackstone, TPG Capital and Basilinna have provided expertise, advice, and counsel in the development of this concept. Chinese companies including China State Construction Engineering Corporation, China National Materials Group Corporation Ltd., China National Building Materials Group Corporation, ICBC, Vanke, SOHO China, Baoye Group, AVIC Trust, and CDH Investment have also provided their expertise and recommendations on ensuring that this structure is appropriate for the Chinese market. Input has also been received from the International Finance Corporation.
US-CHINA CEO ROUNDTABLE PARTICIPANTS
U.S. CEOs
Mary Barra, General Motors
Jeffrey Bezos, Amazon
Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway
John Chambers, Cisco Systems, Inc.
Timothy Cook, Apple Inc.
David Cote, Honeywell
Robert Iger, The Walt Disney Company
Ellen Kullman, DuPont
Andrew Liveris, The Dow Chemical Company
Satya Nadella, Microsoft
Indra Nooyi, PepsiCo
Dennis Muilenburg, The Boeing Company
Thomas Pritzker, Hyatt Hotels Corporation
Virginia Rometty, IBM Corporation
Howard Schultz, Starbucks
Chinese CEOs
Ma Yun, Alibaba
Lu Guanqiu, Wanxiang
Ma Huateng, Tencent
Yang Yuanqing, Lenovo
Wang Yusuo, ENN Energy Holdings
Ma Zehua, China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO)
Guan Qing, China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC)
Wan Long, Shuanghui Group
Tian Guoli, Bank of China
Jiang Jianqing, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC)
Pan Gang, Yili Group
Zhang Yaqin, Baidu
Liang Haishan, Haier Group
Wang Jinshu, Yuhuang Chemical Industry Group
Guo Guangchang, Fosun
About the Paulson Institute: The Paulson Institute is a “think and do” tank that promotes environmental protection and sustainable development in the United States and China, while advancing bilateral economic relations and cross-border investment. Established in 2011 by Henry M. Paulson, Jr., the Institute is committed to the principle that today’s most pressing economic and environmental challenges can be solved only if the United States and China work in complementary ways.
The non-partisan, independent Institute works at the nexus of economic and environmental issues in the United States and China. Its programs in China focus on improving climate and air quality, advancing ecological conservation and promoting sustainable cities. The Institute’s Think Tank publishes papers on the most important macroeconomic issues facing China today, energy strategies and issues in U.S.-China relations. The Institute promotes bilateral cross-border investment that will improve U.S.-China relations and help create jobs and works to reduce economic risk from climate change. The Institute is headquartered at the University of Chicago and has offices in Washington and Beijing.