U.S.-China Commission elects new Chairman and Vice Chairman to lead its next year.
Are you interested in receiving regular updates about the Commission's activities via fax or email, or would you like to update your contact information or unsubscribe to our updates? Please email your contact information to contact@uscc.gov.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Kathy Michels – 202-624-1409 kmichels@uscc.gov
January 8, 2009 Nick Barone – 202-624-1484 nbarone@uscc.gov
Washington, D.C. – The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission unanimously elected a Chairman and Vice Chairman to lead its efforts during 2009 to assess the national security implications of trade and economic ties between the United States and the People’s Republic of China.
The Commission elected Carolyn Bartholomew as its Chairman for the 2009 term. Chairman Bartholomew served as the Commission Chairman for the 2007 report cycle and Vice Chairman for the 2006 and 2008 report cycles. She is a former counsel, legislative director, and chief of staff for Representative Nancy Pelosi, currently the Speaker of the House of Representatives. She also served on the staff of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. She is an authority on U.S.-China relations, human rights, weapons proliferation, and Africa. Her full bio is available at http://www.uscc.gov/about/commissioners/barpg.php. Chairman Bartholomew was originally appointed to the Commission in 2003 by then-House Democratic Leader Pelosi.
The Commission elected Dr. Larry Wortzel as its Vice Chairman for the 2009 term. Vice Chairman Wortzel served as the Commission Chairman for the 2006 and 2008 report cycles. A retired U.S. Army colonel, former Director of the Asian Studies Center and Vice President for Foreign Policy at the Heritage Foundation, Vice Chairman Wortzel is also the former Director of the Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War College and former military attaché at the U.S. Embassy in China. His complete biography is available at http://www.uscc.gov/about/commissioners/worpg.php. Vice Chairman Wortzel was appointed by House Republican Leader John Boehner on December 10, 2008 for a fourth term expiring December 31, 2010.
The chairman and vice chairman positions alternate each year between Commissioners appointed by Democratic and Republican Congressional leaders.
In addition, the following appointments have been made for two year terms expiring December 31, 2010:
- Commissioner Peter Videnieks was appointed on November 20, 2008 by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for a second term. His full bio is available at http://www.uscc.gov/about/commissioners/vidpg.php.
- Commissioner Michael R. Wessel was appointed on November 20, 2008 by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for a fifth term. Commissioner Wessel’s full bio is available at http://www.uscc.gov/about/commissioners/wesspg.php.
The Commission released its unanimous 2008 Report to Congress on November 20, 2008. To gain information to be reflected in its next report, the Commission plans to hold a series of public hearings on a broad array of topics within its legislative mandate, continuing its examination of the implications and impacts of U.S.-China trade and investment. The Commission will hold its first public hearing for 2009 in Washington, D.C. on February 17th to address “China’s Role in the Origins of and Response to the Global Recession.” Details on the February 17th hearing will be posted to the Commission’s Web Site www.uscc.gov as soon as available along with the full 2009 schedule of hearings.
The Commission’s six major Reports to Congress, transcripts of its public hearings, research papers, trade and economic data, and translations of relevant Chinese-language materials also are available at www.uscc.gov.