Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt M. Campbell speaks at the third annual CHINA Town Hall: Local Connections, National Reflections on December 8, 2009. Conducted simultaneously in thirty-five U.S. cities and subsequently four in China, the program included a live nationwide webcast with Assistant Secretary Campbell in a conversation with National Committee Vice President Jan Berris.
Assistant Secretary Campbell discusses the U.S.-China relationship in light of recent developments including President Obama's visit to China, the financial crisis, trade and the Copenhagen summit. Following his remarks, Assistant Secretary Campbell answers questions sent by audience members at venues across the country.
Prior to assuming his current position, Kurt Campbell was the CEO and co-founder of the Center for a New American Security and concurrently served as the director of the Aspen Strategy Group and chairman of the Editorial Board of the Washington Quarterly. Dr. Campbell has served in several capacities in government, including as deputy assistant secretary of defense for Asia and the Pacific, a director on the National Security Council staff, deputy special counselor to the president for NAFTA in the White House, and White House fellow at the Department of the Treasury.
The National Committee is a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization that encourages understanding of China and the United States among citizens of both countries. The National Committee's continuity of experience and depth of associations with senior officials and distinguished citizens of China and the United States make it a unique national resource. The National Committee focuses its exchange, educational, and policy programs on international relations, economic development and management, governance and legal affairs, environmental and other global concerns, mass communication, and education administration -- addressing these issues with respect to the People's Republic, Hong Kong SAR and Taiwan.
Bio
Dr. Kurt M. Campbell
Dr. Kurt M. Campbell is Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs and formerly Henry A. Kissinger chair, senior vice president, and director of the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
He is also the director of the Aspen Strategy Group and worked at the Pentagon during the Clinton and first Bush administrations. He lives in Washington, DC.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Country, eastern Asia. Area: 3,696,100 sq mi (9,572,900 sq km). Population (2009 est.): 1,331,433,000. Capital: Beijing. It is the world's most populous country, the Han (ethnic Chinese) forming more than nine-tenths of the population. Languages: dialects of Han Chinese, Mandarin being the most important. Religions: traditional beliefs, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Daoism (all legally sanctioned). Currency: renminbi (of which the unit is the yuan). China has several topographic regions. The southwestern area contains the Plateau of Tibet, which averages more than 13,000 ft (4,000 m) above sea level; its core area, averaging more than 16,000 ft (5,000 m) in elevation, is called “the Roof of the World” and provides the headwaters for many of Asia's major rivers. Higher yet are the border ranges, the Kunlun Mountains to the north and the Himalayas to the south. China's northwestern region stretches from Afghanistan to the Northeast (Manchurian) Plain. The Tien Shan (“Celestial Mountains”) separate China's two major interior basins, the Tarim Basin (containing the Takla Makan Desert) and the Junggar Basin. The Mongolian Plateau contains the southernmost part of the Gobi Desert. The lowlands of the eastern region include the Sichuan Basin, which runs along the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang); the Yangtze divides the eastern region into northern and southern parts. The Tarim is the major river in the northwest. China's numerous other rivers include the Huang He (Yellow River), Xi, Sungari (Songhua), Zhu (Pearl), and Lancang, which becomes the Mekong in Southeast Asia. The country is a single-party people's republic with one legislative house. The head of state is the president, and the head of government is the premier.
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