Press Release: 1st US-China Green Energy Forum (Pre-Conference), San Francisco, USA, April 2008

Both the US and China face daunting challenges in the areas of security, long-term economic competitiveness, and global warming. Energy is at the center of all three, and is perhaps the most important problem that we must solve in the coming decades. While there are no magic bullets, the answer clearly lies in increasing energy efficiency in the short term and developing sustainable, carbon-neutral energy sources over the longer term.

This conference is the first to bring together leading clean energy specialists from business, government, and academia from both the U.S. and China. What are the dimensions of the clean energy challenge? What has been achieved to date? How can the US and China better collaborate to create a clean energy future? These are some of the key questions the conference will address.

Beijing, Shanghai, and the San Francisco Bay Area are rapidly becoming the global centers for clean energy technology innovation, development, and investment. Better collaboration between the regions promises enormous gains. This conference – and two follow-on conferences in Shanghai on November 13-14, 2008 and in Beijing in November 17-18, 2008 -- represent the beginning of an effort to encourage long-term partnerships between clean energy policymakers, researchers, businesspeople, and investors in the two countries.

“The Asia Society is thrilled to be working with the US-China Green Energy Council on what is shaping up to be the most critical issue of the day,” said Bruce Pickering, Executive Director of Asia Society Northern California. “We have been working on sustainable development issues for several years now,” he continued, “but this series of conferences takes our commitment to a whole new level.”

Robert Wu, Chairman and CEO of UCGEC, has high hopes for this new initiative. “China has a lot of respect for the Bay Area and Silicon Valley, he observed, “and this is a win-win deal for both countries.”

In addition to the Asia Society and UCGEC, the April 18 conference is supported by a wide range of local organizations, including Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the Berkeley China Initiative, and the Bay Area Council.

The conference will feature a fifteen internationally renowned experts on clean energy and will include keynote addresses by Zhao Zhongxian, Vice Chairman of the Chinese Association for Science and Technology (CAST), and Thomas Rooney, Managing Partner of RCI and former CEO Insituform Technologies (INSU). William Morrow, President and Chief Executive Officer, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, will open the program.

Sponsoring the event are PG&E, Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati, Callaway Venture Partners, Chevron, Green Valley, McKinsey & Company, Mendel Biotechnology, New Enterprise Associates, and Nixon Peabody LLP.

About Asia Society Northern California: Founded in 1956, the Asia Society is the leading global organization committed to fostering dialogue and building a community for all those with a passionate interest in Asia. As one of eleven Asia Society centers worldwide, Asia Society Northern California offers fresh perspectives on the forces and issues shaping the US-Asia relationship. From food, fashion and film to politics, business and social issues, we present innovative, multi-disciplinary programs that bring together members and experts to create an active and informed community. For more information, visit http://www.asiasociety.org/visit/sanfrancisco/

About the US-China Green Energy Council

The US-China Green Energy Council was founded in 2008 to provide business, educational, scientific, and technical support for enhanced energy efficiency and the development of renewable energy sources in the United States and China. The Council works to build partnerships, enhance communication between the public and private sectors, and gather and organize scientific information and research, and provide public education and training through business seminars, lectures, workshops, conferences, publications, and other media.