Conference connects China and US

Business professionals, students, professors and Hollywood producers will gather at the UCLA Anderson School of Management today to discuss the strengthening of economic ties between California and China.

The second annual Wilbur K. Woo Greater China Business Conference, hosted by the Harold and Pauline Price Center and the Greater China Business Association, will focus on four key areas of the business relationship between the United States and China ““ investment, entertainment, real estate and business careers ““ organizers said.

With China undergoing a huge economic boom, organizers said they see this as an opportunity to establish a better presence for China in California business.

“As 35 percent of our MBA students are international students, a lot of them have an interest in going to work in China,” said Holly Han, an Anderson School alumna and organizer for the event. “China is a huge area for growth and importance.”

The keynote address will be delivered by Clarence Kwan, a national managing partner for Deloitte & Touche, a service firm which assists in investment opportunities for Chinese and American businesses. Following the address, four panels of expert speakers will discuss their specialized business topics of investment, entertainment, real estate and business careers.

Scheduled speakers include Teddy Zee, producer of films such as “Hitch” and “The Pursuit of Happyness,” and Charles Woo, chief executive of Megatoys.

In accepting his invitation to speak at the conference, Woo cited his experience in U.S.-China relations involving outsourced manufacturing and the opportunity to share these experiences with the students.

“I have been involved in that kind of business for the last 30 years,” Woo said. “Until recently, China was a relatively poor country, so it’s important they build a closer economic relationship with the West.”

According to the conference Web site, the event will provide a collaborative forum in which leaders can exchange ideas about the entrepreneurial challenges and opportunities that are emerging through China’s explosive economic growth.

Kevin Schroeder, an organizer for the event, said he sees the historical significance of China’s growth and the business potential of the resource-rich country.

“With the right leadership, they have the resources and the people to become the most dominant country on Earth.” Schroeder said.

Schroeder spent three years in China, studying and working, experiencing what he believes will bring a different perspective to the conference.

“As most of the organizing students are Chinese American, I bring a foreign perspective that could benefit the conference,” Schroeder said.

The conference had been held at the UCLA International Institute in Bunche Hall since 2001. Following a donation by Wilbur K. Woo last year, vice chairman emeritus of Cathay General Bancorp and a UCLA alumnus, the conference was renamed and moved to the Anderson School.

With 200 attendees participating in the sold-out conference, organizers said last year’s conference was a success and are expecting a similar turnout this year.

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