Lecture by China's Ambassador to the United States

The relationship between China and the United States is "the most important bilateral relationship in the world," said His Excellency Zhou Wenzhong, Ambassador to the United States from the People's Republic of China, who gave Knox College's 2007 Caterpillar Distinguished Lecture in Global Affairs on May 7. While "economic development is in the fundamental interests of both countries," Ambassador Zhou said, "China remains a developing country and a long way from modernization."

Ambassador Zhou's talk, followed by a question session, before a standing-room-only audience of more than 300 in Kresge Hall, covered China's relations with the U.S. on a wide variety of issues, including bilateral trade; China's internal economic, political and social institutions; and international topics -- the Korean peninsula, Iran, the Darfur region of Sudan, and Taiwan and Tibet.

China seeks "balanced, ordered and sustainable growth, not just growth itself," Ambassador Zhou said. "We need to see the growth rate in a new way" that ensures efficient use of resources and protects the environment.

Ambassador Zhou was introduced by S.C. "Sid" Banwart, Vice President, Human Services Division, Caterpillar Inc. "I just returned from a trip to China," Banwart said. "I was impressed by the economic transformation that is occurring there, by how quickly the Chinese people have embraced the opportunity to improve their lives."

For the past five years, grants from the Caterpillar Foundation have supported numerous initiatives of Knox's Center for Global Studies, including distinguished visiting lecturers and student and faculty research in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas.

"Caterpillar support for global studies has reached every part of the globe," said Michael Schneider, associate professor of history and co-director of the Center for Global Studies, in his introductory remarks at the lecture.

Knox and Caterpillar share a "commitment to build more global understanding in Central Illinois," Banwart said.

Prior Caterpillar Distinguished Lecturers in Global Affairs have included former U.S. Senator George Mitchell; Bruce Cumings of the University of Chicago; and Richard Longworth, executive director of the Global Chicago Center and former foreign correspondent for the Chicago Tribune.

Founded in 1837, Knox is a national liberal arts college in Galesburg, Illinois, with students from 45 states and 44 nations. Knox's "Old Main" is a National Historic Landmark and the only building remaining from the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates.

Above, Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong; below, S.C. (Sid) Banwart of Caterpillar Inc.


Knox President Roger Taylor on a campus tour with Ambassador Zhou; below, Ambassador Zhou responds to questions from the audience.