Deputy Prime Minister Wang delivered speech with humor

Phoenix TV of Hong Kong reports about the Dinner Party at Ritz Carlton Hotel in Washington apropos of the impressive remarks by Deputy PM Wang Qishen of China. He mentioned former Secretary of State Kissinger's contribution for US-China relations and his association with Geithner's father at Ford Foundation in early 1980s when young Tim Geithner was a student of the Chinese language at Beida. I was a schoolmate of Professor Chen Baosen(St.John's University of Shanghai) who was a Fellow at the Institute of American Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Science. Prof. Chen received an award to come to the United States as a Visiting Scholar of the Ford Foundation. Deputy PM Wang is Uncle Wang to be a partner of Uncle Sam.(sic)

Such historical background reminds me of my other experiences:

I published "A Glimpse of the Chinese Language" in 1965 at the RAND Corporation and hinted the desirability for China to be open to the world via Pin Yin system of romanization for understanding on page 8. Available at www.rand.org at PDF format free of charge for public service. In 1964-1965, Dr, Kissinger was a Consultant and I was a member of the research staff of the Department of Economics and taught the Chinese language and did research on China's economy with economist Richard Moorsteen who published "Remaking China Policy" in 1971, Harvard University Press. Dr. Kissinger visited China in 1971 and Nixon visited in 1972.

I lectured economics at Beida and in Shanghai Fudan University in 1981. In 1982, I was a Visiting Consultant of United Nations Development Program(UNDP) in Beijing and Shanghai. And also in 1986-1987 in Beijing and Shanghai. I was a Fulbright Senior Scholar in Hong Kong,1989-1990. I was an American expert in Guangzhou in 1992-93 and in Beijing from 1993-1996.

Deputy PM Wang also called attention to the dinner guests about Expo 2010 in Shanghai and the American Hall will be completed before May 2010 with his invitation to welcome all who would have an opportunity to witness a modern Shanghai as the host of World Exposition.

As a native of Shanghai , I am proud of Shanghai and I am now teaching Wu dialect to Americans who would have an extra dimension of knowing the Shanghainese which is being spoken in Shanghai even though Mandarin is the official language as "Putonghua" the common language of the Chinese folks. I have reason to believe that Americans are interested in the Wu dialect. Shanghainese is being offered at www.dictyon.net in Maryland,USA.

Francis Shieh a.k.a. Xie Shihao , an octogenarian graduate student from Shanghai in 1947,witnessing Sino-American economics for decades with joyful reminiscence of such new development of two great nations on both sides of the Pacific in the 21st century.

July 28, 2009 at 9 p.m.