[KS] His Excellency ZHAOXING LI to speak, China: Hub for Humanity and Peace

icas icas at dvol.com
Wed Apr 26 01:14:31 EDT 2000


April 25,  2000
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Sang Joo Kim


His Excellency ZHAOXING LI
Ambassador of the People's Republic of China
to the United States

to speak on

China:
Hub for Humanity and Peace in the New Century


at

ICAS Spring Symposium & ICAS Dinner
Humanity, Economy and Technology

May 1, 2000   Monday
Irvine Auditorium Amado Recital Hall
University of Pennsylvania
3401 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104

Dear Friend:

We are pleased to share with you that His Excellency Zhaoxing Li,
Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to the United States 
will deliver a keynote speech, "China: Hub for Humanity and Peace 
in the New Century"", at the ICAS Spring Symposium & ICAS Liberty 
Award Dinner on May 1, 2000.   Other keynote speakers include: 
Robert Cook-Deegan, David Farber, Lawrence R Klein, Jerome J Shestack, 
C Sarah Soh, and William Wolman.

Ambassador Zhaoxing Li was born in Shangdong Province, the hometown of
Confucius.  He graduated with honors from the prestigious Beijing
University with a major in Western Languages and Literature.  Later he 
obtained his MA at Beijing Foreign Studies University, formerly known 
as Beijing Foreign Languages Institute, a cradle of Chinese diplomats.

As a senior diplomat, the Ambassador began his diplomatic career in
Africa.  During the 1970's, he spent seven years in Kenya.   In the
1980's, he was assigned as First Secretary and charge d'affaires  a.i. 
of the Chinese Embassy in the Kingdom of Lesotho. He laid a firm 
foundation for the relations between the two countries during the two 
years when he was charged with the responsibility of establishing the 
Chinese Embassy there.  From 1990 to 1993, he visited 33 African and 
Middle East countries when he was the assistant foreign minister in 
charge of that region.

Ambassador Li is also an expert on multilateral affairs.  From 1993 to
1995, he was the Chinese ambassador to the United Nations.  As the 
representative of Chin --one of the permanent members of the Security 
Council, Ambassador Li played a unique and important role in the world's 
most important international organization by helping maintain the world 
peace, and prevent and mediate in regional conflicts.  During these
two years, Ambassador Li built a profound friendship with then
Ambassador Madeline Albright as colleagues.  He had twice assumed the 
role of the Chairman of the Security Council.  He directly participated 
in the re-democratization of Haiti, and was involved in many rounds of
negotiations with the then Haitian president. Representing China, he
had delivered around 300 key speeches on crucial issues concerning Iraq,
Somalia, Burundi, Rwanda, Cyprus, and Central Asia, as well as issues 
on arms control, climatic change and human rights.  In the conference 
room of the Security Council, the "Li Bell" named  after Ambassador Li
is still in use to remind people of being punctual at meetings.

>From May 1995 to March 1998, Ambassador Li was serving as the vice
foreign minister in charge of the China-U.S. relations, the United 
Nations and international legal affairs.  He personally experienced the 
ups and downs of the Sino-U.S. relations from 1995 to 1997.  During 
that period, he had led delegations to the United States many times 
for political consultations with the U.S. government, and attended the 
four summit meetings between President Zemin Jiang and President Clinton
in the last four years.  He ahs been a witness of the process in which 
Sino-U.S. relations have evolved from a low point to the current steady 
improvement and development.

Ambassador Li's U.N. background also brought him many titles and
responsibilities. He had been the Deputy Director of the China
Organizing Committee and the Deputy Head of the Chinese delegation to 
the Fourth United Nations Conference on Women. As the only male leading 
official representing China at this conference, he had played a very
positive and unique role in organizing and convening this most widely 
represented conference in the U.N. history.   Ambassador Li had also
been the Deputy Head of the Chinese  delegation to the 48th and 49th 
U.N. General Assembly, and the consultant to the 50th, 51st and 52nd 
General Assemblies.  

Ambassador Li had also been a leading member representing at the First 
Asian-European Meeting, three times at APEC's Ministerial Meeting.   
Ambassador Li had assumed leading roles as vice chairman in the China 
Committees of more than ten international organizations, such as UNESCO,
the Framework Convention of Climate Change, the International Convention 
of Anti-Desertification, the Chemical Weapon Ban Treaty, the South Pole 
Committee, and the International Environmental Cooperation Committee. 
He had also been the Deputy Director of the Organizing Committee of the 
World Gardening Exposition, and the member of the National Anti-Drug 
Committee.

In his leading posts, Ambassador Li had represented China in many
presidential inaugurations as the special envoy of the Chinese
government in countries such as Argentina and Ecuador, and led Chinese 
delegations to visit 101 countries in five continents.

Ambassador Li was also a nationally renowned spokesman of the foreign
ministry. From 1985 to 1990, he had been the ministry's spokesman while
concurrently serving as Deputy Director General and later Director 
General of the Information Department.  Even today, there are still 
many Chinese calling him Spokesman.  He has a lot of journalists
friends, and is always willing and happy to meet journalists.

Ambassador Li is also a literature enthusiast.  During his college
years, he was an adorer of Shakespeare.  If he had not chosen foreign 
service as his life-time profession, he could have well become an expert 
in Shakespeare.  He is now the honorary chairman of the Chinese
Shakespeare Society, and the guest professor of Beijing University 
and Nankai University.  Ambassador Li is also a scholar of good literary
attainments.  His first essay appeared in literature journals in
Shanghai when he was only a teenager.  The most widely read newspaper, 
the People's Daily, published his articles in as early as 1960's, and 
he has  since been writing poems and essays for many Chinese newspapers 
and journals.  His writings include many articles on human rights, and 
literary comments on the artistic styles of the American writer Mark 
Twain, the British writer Fielding, and the Russian writer Turgeniev.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Sang Joo Kim / signed
Sr. Fellow & Executive Vice President
ICAS
http://www.dvol.com/~users/icas

Institute for Corean-American Studies (aka ICAS) is a non-profit,
non-partisan, and private educational and research organisation.  It is
non-agent of any government and solely supported by voluntary
contributions.  ICAS promotes pertinent relations and conducts
appropriate activities to enhance cooperation and to pursue peace and
prosperity.  Further information about ICAS and some examples of
previous activities may be found on the ICAS website
(http://www.dvol.com/~users/icas). Thank you.


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