Dear Friends, I hope you and your loved ones enjoyed a peaceful holiday season and are finding moments of rest and renewal as 2026 begins. In Hong Kong, the closing weeks of last year were marked by difficulty following the tragic November fires. The resilience shown by communities acros

Dear Friends, Last week, global leaders gathered in Hong Kong for the 6th U.S.-China Hong Kong Forum — a timely and forward-looking conversation on how we can shape “Circles for Peace” together. This year’s Forum, co-organized with the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship wit

Dear CUSEF Community, On November 17, CUSEF will host the 6th U.S.-China Hong Kong Forum, our annual flagship event. This year, the theme is “Circles for Peace,” and leverages our role as convenors, curators, and producers of high-level and high-quality dialogue. We will explore thre

Dear CUSEF Community, In this edition of Harbor Connect, I’ll touch on our scholars program, India’s balancing act, an exciting partnership at the UN General Assembly, and the upcoming 6th U.S.-China Hong Kong Forum.  In a time increasingly defined by division, dialogue is a com

I met Joseph Nye once, in March 2019, in his Harvard Kennedy School office. It was a modest space, one of many in a multitude of rooms. But even in that understated setting, he stood out. Not only as a Harvard professor, but as an extraordinary person and intellect whose singular influence fundame

We’re coming off an incredible week in Hong Kong. Art Basel, HSBC, Milken Institute, and many others held major events that showcased our city’s power in bringing the world together, and its ever-increasing role as a hub for global exchange and innovation. The opening of Kai Tak Stadium, 100 y

Last week, the world came together to say goodbye to Jimmy Carter – the longest-lived American President, and probably the last major world leader from the Cold War period, whose achievements will far surpass even his 100 years. The China-United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF) has a long

Dear Friends, This time last week, international leaders gathered in Hong Kong for the first bilateral event globally since the U.S. presidential election. The 5th U.S.-China Hong Kong Forum was a resounding expression of openness, critical thinking and, uniquely, bipartisan representation.&n

Dear Friends, Last week’s U.S. presidential election has raised the question on what’s next for the U.S. and China, and our shared future. The impacts for trade, security, climate, health, and education are too early to determine. But what’s clear is the need for peace and tolerance, by

I’d like to wish all of our American friends celebrating this week a wonderful Fourth of July. The date not only commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, but more deeply the birth of a nation, and is an opportunity to honor America’s rich and diverse history. Now m

This week, I represented CUSEF in Rwanda at the annual commemoration of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. For the 30th anniversary this year, scores of countries, including the U.S. and China, came to Kigali to honor the dead, the survivors, and the 13 million people who are building a new nati

CUSEF President James Chau moderating a panel discussion at The Jimmy Carter Forum on U.S.-China Relations in Atlanta, GA. As we commemorate the 45th anniversary of the United States and China’s decision to normalize relations—a historic turning point that reshaped our world for the bett

Dr. Henry Kissinger, CUSEF Honorary Advisor, and Mr. Tung Chee-hwa, CUSEF Founder and Chairman Emeritus  The world changed when President Richard Nixon visited Beijing, Shanghai, and Hangzhou in February 1972. Those seven days paved the way, seven years later, for the normalizatio

(Ambassador Nicholas Burns addresses the Hong Kong Forum on U.S.-China Relations on November 9, 2023. Photo: China-United States Exchange Foundation) Last week, our annual Hong Kong Forum on U.S.-China Relations was opened by Ambassador Nicholas Burns and Ambassador Xie Feng in a notable exp

Thanks for reading this first entry into our new blog, 'Harbor Connect,' a space where I will share my ideas and thoughts about the world, and what we're doing at the China-United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF). I'm James Chau, President of CUSEF, a non-profit founded by The Hon. Tung Che