Chapter members Julie Asher, Paul Byers, Stephenie Overman, Steve Taylor and Bob Webb met Sept. 16 with a delegation of about 18 Chinese journalists visiting the United States.
The Chinese journalists’ visit was sponsored by the nonprofit East-West Center and hosted by Mary Jo and Joe Furgal, diplomatic corps retirees, at their home in the Lyons Park section of Arlington, Va.
The wide-ranging but decidedly informal discussions covered health care, trade and other economic matters, plus some carefully worded talk about the limits to freedom of expression in China.
The East-West Center promotes better relations and understanding among the people and nations of the United States, Asia, and the Pacific through cooperative study, research, and dialogue involving a worldwide network of 57,000 alumni and more than 750 partner organizations.
The Center’s Honolulu campus features research, residential and international conference facilities. The Center’s Washington, D.C., office focuses on preparing the United States for an era of growing Asia Pacific prominence. The website is www.EastWestCenter.org.
Susan Kreifels, media program manager for East-West Center seminars, and Fang Xinjian, a member of the international liaison department of the All-China Journalists Association, expressed interest in future programs with SPJ.