John Kamm Speaks in the Pacific Northwest and California

In April and May, Executive Director John Kamm gave five talks at universities and public affairs forums in Washington, Oregon, and the Bay Area. Kamm discussed the “Ethical Challenges of Doing Business in China” at Washington State University Vancouver (WSU Vancouver) on April 4, and spoke about the role of human rights in Sino-US relations at an event co-hosted by the Northwest China Council and Portland State University’s Institute for Asian Studies on April 6. Rounding out his northwest tour, the executive director talked about censorship and China’s current crackdown on dissent at Western Washington University (WWU) in Bellingham, Washington on April 7.

In California, Kamm spoke about human rights at an event hosted by the UC Berkeley Chapter of Delta Phi Epsilon, a co-ed Foreign Service fraternity, on April 14, and discussed US-China relations at a May 18 talk co-hosted by the World Affairs Council, Marin Chapter and Dominican University of California.

John Kamm and Program and Development Manager Daisy Poon with Delta Phi Epsilon members and students, University of California, Berkeley, April 14, 2011.

Joshua Rosenzweig Panels at Hong Kong Criminal Justice Conference

From May 6 to 8, Joshua Rosenzweig, senior manager for research and Hong Kong operations, joined distinguished panelists from inside and outside of China at “Criminal Justice in China: Comparative Perspectives,” a conference hosted by The Centre for Rights and Justice at the Faculty of Law at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Rosenzweig discussed how criminal defamation charges under China’s Criminal Law have been deployed in an effort to limit critical expression aimed at local officials. An abstract of his remarks, “Defining Space for Free Expression in China through Public Critique of Criminal Defamation Cases,” can be downloaded here (PDF).

Daisy Poon Joins Dui Hua as Development Manager

Daisy Poon joined Dui Hua as development manager in our San Francisco office in February. In this newly created role, Poon manages special programs and development planning and implementation. Originally from Hong Kong, she holds a Bachelor of Science from Cornell University and a Juris Doctorate from the UCLA School of Law. Before joining Dui Hua, Poon clerked for California District Court Judge Garland E. Burrell, Jr., and practiced intellectual property litigation at a major law firm in Silicon Valley.

Hong Kong Economic Journal Publishes Kamm’s “First Trip” Essay

On April 2, Kamm’s essay, “Shanghaied at the Feather and Down Minifair,” was published in the “My First Trip to China” series of the Hong Kong Economic Journal. In the article, Kamm recounts his first trip to mainland China as a young businessman attending a trade fair in 1976. Wandering around Shanghai, Kamm encounters an interesting cast of characters stifled by communist rule as news breaks of the death of Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai. A waiter defiantly mourning the fallen leader’s death served Kamm in 1976, and, by chance, met him again 30 years later. By then, the waiter had become the restaurant’s manager, and Kamm was dining with colleagues as the executive director of the Dui Hua Foundation. ■

The Shanghai Mansions: “Long Live Chairman Mao” adorns the top floor. Mao was to die eight months later.

Photo credits: John Kamm

Fuzhou Road crowded with pedestrians. Then as now Fuzhou Road was a haven of used book stores.