Technology Innovation -- U.S. and China Together to Create the Future

On Saturday September 18, a beautiful autumn day, I arrived early in Kendall Square, Cambridge. I was attending the U.S.-China Technology Innovation Forum, jointly organized by the Massachusetts Office of International Trade & Investment (MOITI), the China Chamber of Commerce for Import & Export of Machinery & Electronic Products (CCCME), and the United States Information Technology Office (USITO).

As I walked into the salon in the Marriot Hotel, I saw a big banner up in front of the room with both Chinese and English. On the left, there were three flags – of the U.S., China, and Massachusetts. On the right, there was a big projection screen, again with Chinese and English. After I found a table, a man with a box of audio head phones came over and asked me if I needed one for the translation. I thanked him and told him that it was not necessary since I was fluent in both Chinese and English.

Listening to Dr. Ted Carr, Executive Director of MOITI, and Mr. Wang Chao, Vice Minister of Commerce of P.R. China, I started to understand their message: both the U.S. and China hope to create a future through technology innovation. Both countries would like to work together on this mission. As I listened to the following speakers, my mind went back to my days in China.

When I was in high school, we had a mantra: “Study and master math, physics, and chemistry, then you can go anywhere under the sun.” I was a true believer in that. Diving into math and science, I applied to study computer science and engineering at Tsinghua University (the MIT of China). After graduation, I worked on campus developing software for an American company. I also participated in an international technology conference where IBM, Xerox, and Apple along with other international companies came to Beijing to show their high tech to the Chinese. Later, I came to the U.S. for graduate study in computer science. After earning a Master’s degree in CSE, I started my career in the U.S. as a software engineer. It was technology that led me from China to the U.S. and from past to present.

Now, seeing and listening to Americans and Chinese talk about creating a future together through technology innovation, I was moved, excited, and inspired. I would like to keep contributing, connecting Americans and Chinese to create a better and brighter future for all of us.