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Mr. James Chau

President

Mr. James Chau

James Chau has served as President of the China-United States Exchange Foundation since 2023.

He joined the Foundation in 2018, working with Founding Chairman The Honorable Tung Chee-hwa, First Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR, and developing the digital initiatives that have become an important part of its outreach.

At the United Nations, Mr. Chau is the World Health Organization Goodwill Ambassador for Sustainable Development Goals, appointed by WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan, and re-appointed by Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Previously, he was a UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador - the first person in China named to this role.

A long-time television news anchor, he has earned a special reputation for his interviews with world leaders including Nobel Peace Prize laureates President Jimmy Carter, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and Professor Muhammad Yunus, as well as Christine Lagarde, Jane Goodall, and Madam Peng Liyuan.

Born in London, Mr. Chau studied piano at the Royal Academy of Music and graduated from Cambridge University and King’s College London. He completed an Executive Education course on Global Leadership and Public Policy for the 21st Century at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He is a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader.