On June 5, 1979, I joined a National Council for US-China Trade delegation to Beijing. There I met paramount leader Deng Xiaoping and shook his hand. I was introduced to him as Kang Yuan, a name I adopted upon writing a eulogy for Zhou Enlai, whose funeral I attended in January 1976. Source: National Council for US China Trade

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I was active in the China trade, buying, selling, and investing on the Mainland, under my new Chinese name Kang Yuan. I was in the right place at the right time, taking advantage of China’s opening by launching several pioneering initiatives.  Read more: Right Time, Right Place, Right People