US Caucus 2008

Located in the Pacific Northwest region of the U.S.A., the greater Seattle area is home to both Fortune 500 and other leading companies including Microsoft, Amazon.com, Boeing and Starbucks Coffee Company. With the Port of Seattle being ranked the 6th largest container port in the U.S.A. and among the top 40 in the world, the Seattle area has an important role in international trade and logistics. As well as the perfect venue for the 2008 U.S. Regional Caucus Meeting which took place in the beautiful Emerald City (Seattle’s official nickname) from July 14 to 16, 2008.

Among the participants were leaders of the various Hong Kong Associations located throughout the U.S.A.; HKTDC Regional Director, Americas, Stephen Wong; FHBKAW chair Barry MacDonald, and HKCBA Vancouver chapter president Bill Lau.

The 3-day program was hosted by the Hong Kong Association of Washington, and sponsored by HSBC Bank, Morrison & Foerster, Sheraton Seattle Hotel, Port of Seattle and Princess Cruises Fine Arts.

Upon their arrival on the first day, the caucus participants wasted no time in making connections with special guests including: State of Washington Lieutenant Governor Brad Owen and his staff, Zhuhai Municipal People’s Government Deputy Secretary General Madam Li Ying and other Zhuhai government officials, Lawrence Tang and Robin Won with the Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office in San Francisco, as well as Rony Lerner of Quest Software, Inc. at a hospitality reception hosted by Benjamin Lee, Michael Chan, Andy Ip, Annie Malik and other board members of the Hong Kong Association of Washington.

At the occasion, Lieutenant Governor Owen treated the guests with a sample taste of the state’s fine wine produced at one of the local vineyards. Being the Evergreen State, the state of Washington was ranked second in production of wine in the United States and its 500 odd wineries were exporting to over 40 countries around the world. Hong Kong and China would be fast becoming important wine trading partners for the state especially following the recent reduction of wine duty to zero in Hong Kong.

Madam Li Ying representing the Zhuhai Municipal People’s Government and Stephen Wong representing the Hong Kong Trade Development Council also presented souvenirs to Lieut. Governor Owen in appreciation of his support in promoting international trade activities in the state of Washington.

The Hong Kong Association of Washington was proud to be one of the key organizers of a half day seminar, networking luncheon and workshop on doing business with Hong Kong and China - “Hong Kong and Zhuhai: Your Partners for Success in China”. The program was an excellent opportunity for the Hong Kong Association heads to learn about the latest development of Zhuhai as one of the fast growing economic zones in the Pearl River Delta region. The case studies and experiences shared by speakers from the Zhuhai government, HKTDC, InvestHK, Supervalu, Quest Software, K&L Gates and Starbucks were cherished and added weight to the information and intelligence that caucus participants would be sharing with their members back home.

Over a networking lunch with almost 300 other guests, the caucus participants made new friends with those from the local business community in Seattle, Tacoma and other adjacent areas, and those who have traveled from Canada, and other states.

After lunch, the caucus participants were chauffeured to the Port of Seattle and presented with an overview of the Port by Port Commissioner John Creighton and Paul Isaki (Director, Dept of Econ, Business & Trade Development). In addition to its state-of-the-art cargo and grain facilities, two cruise ship terminals, four public marinas, the Port also owns and operates the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, and manages a number of real estate assets. Approximately $36 billion of products are traded at the port annually. Together, the port of Seattle and Tacoma are the second largest container load centers in the U.S.A., ahead of New York/New Jersey and second only to Los Angeles/Long Beach.

Escorted by Port of Seattle ambassadors Diana Peterson and Ryan McFarland, the caucus participants also toured some of the Port’s facilities and enjoyed the magnificent view of its transportation infrastructure.

Later on in the evening, John Creighton and Paul Isaki also joined a reception hosted by the Princess Cruises Fine Arts and were presented with an appreciation plaque by the National U.S. Hong Kong Business Association (NUSHKBA).

Overlooking the summer evening scene of downtown Seattle from the 26th floor of the office of the Princess Cruises Fine Arts, Karen Reich was excited to meet with the caucus participants and introduced the latest programs of Princess Cruises to more than 100 friends and members of the Hong Kong Association of Washington. Karen Reich is Vice President and General Manager of Global Fine Arts and based out of Santa Clara in California.

Taking advantage of this special occasion, presentation plaques were presented to NUSHKBA sponsors and supporters.

Antonio Sanchez from the State of Washington was master of ceremony of the evening.

The executive meeting was officiated by Stephen Wong who delivered a summary of Hong Kong Associations’ activities supported by HKTDC in the past year.

-	One of the most exciting events that HKTDC co-organized with the National US Hong Kong Business Association was the "Hong Kong and Zhuhai: Your Partners for Success in China" half-day seminar and luncheon program held on July 15, 2008 at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel.
-	In 2007, the HKTDC Los Angeles office organized a similar series of seminar programs in Phoenix/Arizona, Portland/Oregon and Seattle/Washington with the support of NUSHKBA through hosting the event web pages at the NUSHKBA website. Totally, over 500 business executives, government officials, and representatives of local trade organizations attended the above events, and there were significant exposures for NUSHKBA.
-	In September 2007, the Asian Financial Forum in Hong Kong brought together the most influential and respected members of the global financial community to discuss developments and trends in the dynamic Asian markets.
-	The 2007 Federation flagship event, Hong Kong Forum, drew over 350 Hong Kong association members, among them about 100 from the U.S.A.
-	The Hong Kong Association of Massachusetts was officially formed last year. Under the leadership of Joe Chow and his team, the group has already organized a few events including its inaugural event featuring a presentation by HKSAR Financial Secretary John Tsang.
-	On September 27, 2007, the Hong Kong Business Association of the Midwest hosted a roadshow on "Hong Kong: Fulcrum of Business Success" attended by almost 130 business executives from the greater Chicago area. The program was presented by HKTDC Assistant Executive Director, Christopher Jackson.
-	The Hong Kong Association of New York and Hong Kong Association of Northern California were kept very busy with speaker events happening almost on monthly basis. To name a few of the heavy weight speakers, Kwok Kwok-Chuen, Government Economist of HKSAR; Antony Tyler, CEO of Cathay Pacific Airways; Ian Wingfield, Solicitor General of HKSAR; Jack Maisano, President of HK Amcham; and Prof. Tsui Lap-Chee, Vice Chancellor of the University of Hong Kong.
-	With aloha spirit and creativeness, earlier this year in March, the Hong Kong Business Association of Hawaii organized the first of its kind video conference workshop, Hong Kong: Your Partner for Sourcing, with speakers presenting from Hong Kong via video conferencing, plus a business match working in Honolulu, and the program was also broadcasted to an additional location in Maui.
-	The Hong Kong Association of Southern California also explored new ideas like incorporating a business matching workshop into its mixer events for drawing attendees from different sectors. Working with the San Bernardino County, the Hong Kong Association of Southern California also led one of the most sizable delegation to the Hong Kong Forum in 2007.
-	Having won the HKSAR 10th Anniversary Cup last August, the Philadelphia Hong Kong Trade Association was definitely a winner in racing - with a dragon boat. With participation of over 50 teams and in excess of 5,000 people, the Hong Kong Association of Atlanta organized another successful Dragon Boat Festival.
-	In addition to the Hong Kong and China business seminar last September, the Hong Kong Association of Washington also organized its key event - Chinese New Year Celebration Gala - which drew over 1,000 guests in February.
-	There are currently over 2,300 individual members among the Hong Kong associations in the U.S.A.

Each one of the Hong Kong Associations also reported on its activities, new ideas from video-conferencing to dragon boat racing, and challenges such as membership and sponsors.
The participation of Bill Lau from Vancouver also promoted a closer working relationship and understanding between HKCAB and NUSHKBA.
As FHKBAW chair, Barry MacDonald outlined some of the pros and cons for NUSHKBA to join the Federation as a umbrella organization for all Hong Kong Associations in the United States. He would work with the FHKBAW Secretary to further look into this matter while the NUSHKBA would discuss this in greater depth with other board members.
Representing the Hong Kong Associations in the United States, Benjamin Lee of the Hong Kong Association of Washington was nominated and supported by all to run for a FHKBAW officeholder position at the 2008 Hong Kong Forum.
As NUSHKBA founding chair, Raymond Cheng, president of the Hong Kong Association of Southern California, was invited to become a NUSHKBA Honorary Adviser in 2009.
In 2009, Benjamin Lee will continue to spearhead NUSHKBA as chair, and Kenneth Wong from Philadelphia will take up the role of president. His team mates will include Barinna Poon from Hawaii who will be Secretary General, and Susanna Kwan from Northern California who will continue to serve as Treasurer. Other officers are Gene Hanratty from Atlanta, Daniel Chen from Northern Texas, Margaret Bell from the Midwest, Joe Chow from Boston, Raymond Cheng from Southern California and Mike Nocera from New York.

While it’s sad to say good-bye, the caucus participants were also anxious to meet again at the upcoming Hong Kong Forum in Hong Kong.