Last week Tate Miller and former MIIS president Robert Gard returned from a successful whirlwind trip to Beijing. The centerpiece of the trip was participation in an invitation-only, two-day conference on China’s world trade opportunities and relationship with the World Trade Organization.
The conference, sponsored by the Beijing-based WTO Affairs Center, was attended by 350-400 senior and mid-level Chinese government officials.
Dawei Cheng, a 2000 graduate of the commercial diplomacy program, arranged for the Institute’s participation. Ms. Cheng is chief expert at the WTO Affairs Center. The Monterey Institute was the sole educational institution invited. Other international dignitaries included senior officials from the WTO headquarters in Geneva. President Gard’s opening plenary address, on the topic of the US development of special zones for business such Silicon Valley, was well-received, and the WTO Center has commenced discussions with the Institute regarding future cooperation on trade research and training. While in Beijing, Tate and Bob also held an alumni dinner at a restaurant owned and operated by alum Clayton Noack in an historic ‘hutong’ neighborhood in the center of the city.
So cool! Tate – you’re my hero.