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A few hours after Mr. Kamm's speech, President Hu Jintao will begin a state visit to Washington DC. Mr. Kamm will preview the visit, and assess US-China relations against the backdrop of political changes taking place in both countries.
While the November election was widely seen as a referendum on President Obama's leadership, it marked a milestone in Sino-US relations as well. For the first time China emerged as an issue in dozens of races. More than 40 candidates ran advertisements attacking the country, and the new Congress is one of the most critical of China in recent memory. Meanwhile, the Chinese Communist Party plenary session in October provided signals about the direction China will take after Chairman Hu Jintao steps down in 2012. Political changes in both countries are taking place at a time when US-China relations are characterized by mistrust (heightened by the Wikileaks disclosures) and tension over issues ranging from currency to national security to human rights.
Mr. John Kamm will identify the major talking points both sides will bring to the table, and comment on possibilities for improved relations during the 112th Congress. Mr. Kamm, who lived in Hong Kong for more than two decades and served as AmCham president in 1990, is passing through the city as part of a trip that will take him through China and Europe for talks with senior government officials.
 Mr. John Kamm is an American businessman and human rights campaigner active in China since 1972. He is the founder and chairman of The Dui Hua Foundation, based in San Francisco, California with an office in Hong Kong. Mr. Kamm was awarded the Department of Commerce’s Best Global Practices Award by President Bill Clinton in 1997 and the Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Human Rights by President George W. Bush in 2001. In September 2004, he received a MacArthur Fellowship for “designing and implementing an original approach to freeing prisoners of conscience in China.” Mr. Kamm is the first businessman to be awarded a MacArthur Fellowship, which recognizes “individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary originality and dedication to their creative pursuits and who have contributed importantly to society through their work.” The Dui Hua Foundation, under Mr. Kamm’s leadership, is committed to promoting respect for human rights in China and the United States, and concentrates its efforts on encouraging transparency, accountability, and the humanitarian treatment of prisoners.
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