Forum to look at 'Working with China in the Global Market'

Arizona State University’s Confucius Institute will present a free forum, “Working with China in the Global Market,” from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., Sept. 18, in the Memorial Union Turquoise Ballroom (220) on ASU’s Tempe campus.

Speakers will be Wei Chen of Intel China, Rudy Vetter of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, and Jerry Liu of Suntech Arizona.

Opening the event will be keynote speaker Consul Zhunmin Chen, head of education of the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in Los Angeles. Madeline K. Spring, director of ASU Confucius Institute, will then give an overview of the presentations.

During the afternoon, the speakers will share experiences and discuss strategies for developing synergies of conducting business between the United States and China.

Wei Chen will share his expertise and insights of working in China. During his presentation, he also will discuss the challenges and opportunities in managing in a rapid-growth environment and the best ways to ensure a sustainable and profitable operation.

Vetter’s presentation is titled “Arizona, the new West coast … How location and economics create competitive advantage for Chinese corporations.” He will explore the competitive advantages and incentives to attract China companies to invest in Arizona in the present and future.

Jerry Liu, the General Manager of Suntech Arizona, will discuss “Why Suntech selected the Phoenix area, its experiences to date, and the reason why Suntech is bullish on contributing to the growth of the US and worldwide solar industry.”

Suntech, a Chinese company, established its presence in Arizona in 2010. It is the world’s largest manufacturer of photovoltaic solar panels.

The symposium will conclude with a reception at 5 p.m. It is part of the Mid-Autumn & National Day Celebration at ASU, which will continue in the Memorial Union’s Arizona Ballroom from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., hosted by the ASU Confucius Institute, School of International Letters and Cultures at ASU and the Arizona Chinese United Association. The event will feature live music and entertainment.

Representatives of the People’s Republic of China in Los Angeles and community leaders will join this celebration, which marks the founding of the People’s Republic of China on Oct. 1, 1949.

Also on Sept. 18, winning and outstanding artworks from the Confucius Institute’s poster design contest will be displayed. The poster design contest is open to all Arizona students in grades K-12.

Both events are free and open to the public. For more information and to register, go to http://confuciusinstitute.asu.edu/portal/.