U.S.-China Commission Elects New Chairman And Vice Chairman To Lead Its Fifth Year
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 15 , 2006 |
Contact: |
Kathy Michels kmichels@uscc.gov Omar Aslam oaslam@uscc.gov Web site:www.uscc.gov |
Washington, D.C. – The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission unanimously elected a Chairman and Vice Chairman to lead its fifth year of assessing the national security implications of trade and economic ties between the United States and the People’s Republic of China.
The Commission elected Carolyn Bartholomew as its Chairman for 2007. Chairman Bartholomew is a former counsel, legislative director, and chief of staff for Representative Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker-elect of the House of Representatives. She also served on the staff of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. She is an authority on U.S.-China relations, human rights, weapons proliferation, and Africa. Her full bio is available at http://www.uscc.gov/about/commissioners/barpg.php. Chairman Bartholomew was appointed to the Commission by House Minority Leader Pelosi.
The Commission elected Daniel A. Blumenthal as its Vice Chairman for the 2007 term. Vice Chairman Blumenthal was the senior director for China, Taiwan, and Mongolia in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs. He currently is a resident fellow in Asian Studies at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research. His full bio is available at http://www.uscc.gov/about/commissioners/blumenthalpg.php. Vice Chairman Blumenthal was appointed to the Commission by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.
The chairman and vice chairman positions alternate each year between Commissioners appointed by Democratic and by Republican Congressional leaders.
Chairman Bartholomew said: “In 2007 the Commission will advise Congress on serious questions in the U.S.-China relationship. Five years ago, China joined the WTO and agreed to phase in market-oriented reforms. We will be examining such issues as China’s WTO compliance, the impact of trade with China on the U.S. economy--including on our defense industrial base--and the security challenges presented to the United States by China’s military modernization and force deployments.”
Vice Chairman Blumenthal said: “China faces critical decisions on whether it will assume a position as a responsible stakeholder among nations by seeking to limit the proliferation of weapons, curb the excesses of nations such as Sudan, North Korea, and Iran, and pursue a peaceful resolution of conflicts with Taiwan.”
In addition, two other Commissioners were reappointed for two-year terms. They are Dr. Larry M. Wortzel, who served as the 2006 Commission Chairman, and Michael R. Wessel. Commissioner Wortzel was reappointed by House Speaker Dennis Hastert and Commissioner Wessel was reappointed by incoming Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The Commission released its unanimous 2006 Annual Report to Congress on November 16, 2006. To gain information to be reflected in its next report, the Commission plans to hold a series of public hearings on a broad array of topics within its legislative mandate, continuing its examination of the implications and impacts of U.S.-China trade and investment. Once finalized in January, the full 2007 schedule of hearings will be posted at www.uscc.gov. The Commission’s four Annual Reports to Congress, transcripts of its public hearings, research papers, trade and economic data, and translations of relevant Chinese-language materials also are available at www.uscc.gov.