Media Advisory: Bryant University, National Committee on US-China Relations commemorate 30th anniversary of US-Chinese diplomacy with Feb. 6 keynote by senior Chinese diplomat Jianmin Wu

February 2nd, 2009

Wu, China's senior diplomat for 42 years, is available for one-on-one interviews with media Feb. 6. His keynote at the Biltmore Hotel Grand Ballroom in Providence is by invitation only, but is open to the media.

SMITHFIELD, R.I.  - This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of U.S-China diplomacy.

To commemorate this milestone, Bryant University's U.S.-China Institute and the Confucius Institute, in partnership with the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, is sponsoring a celebration on Friday, Feb. 6, that includes a keynote presentation by Jianmin Wu, who for 42 years served as China's senior diplomat.

Wu will discuss the complex and multifaceted relationship between the two countries at a gala dinner celebration to be held the evening of Feb. 6 in the Grand Ballroom of Providence's Biltmore Hotel.

EDITORS/REPORTERS: Wu, who is fluent in English, French and Chinese, is available for one-on-one interviews from approximately 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. on the Bryant University campus, and at the Biltmore in Providence from 5 p.m. until approximately 6:30 p.m. Though the dinner and Ambassador Wu's presentation are by invitation only, media are invited to cover his keynote, which begins at approximately 7:30 p.m. Contact Tracie Sweeney for details.

The event also is co-sponsored by the Office of Chinese Language Council International (Hanban) and the World Affairs Council.

Ambassador Wu has four decades of service to China's leaders, including Mao Zhedong, Zhou Enlai and Chen Yi. He was a member of the first Chinese delegation to the United Nations in 1971.

He has served as China's ambassador to France, to the United Nations' Office in Geneva and to other international organizations in Switzerland, and to the Netherlands. In June 2003, he received the Grand Officier, Légion d'Honneur from French President Jacques Chirac.

Also of note: - Wu is a full member of the European Academy of Sciences, Arts and Humanities in 2004. - He was the president of China Foreign Affairs University during 2003-2008, and remains as a professor at CFAU, Peking University, and University of Communications in Shanghai.  - He is a member of the Foreign Policy Advisory Committee.

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Keywords: U.S.-China Institute; Confucius Institute; events