From: cheng@ATHENA.CS.UGA.EDU (Weixin Cheng)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.china
Subject: ICDS Proposal
Date: 6 Nov 92 16:09:20 GMT
Reply-To: Weixin Cheng <cheng@ATHENA.CS.UGA.EDU>
Organization: Indiana University

Dear Netters:

As requested by Dr. Wei Ren at Berkeley, I am posting the following materials
to the net.

Weixin Cheng

****************Start posting**************
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>From: ren%control.Berkeley.EDU@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Wei Ren)
>Message-Id: <9210310426.AA03373@control.berkeley.edu.RoboSuns>
>To: CHENG@ATHENA.CS.UGA.EDU, ren%control.Berkeley.EDU@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU
>Subject: ICDS and China-NT
>Status: RO
>
>
>
>Dear Mr. Cheng,
>
>Recently some young scholars and I are trying to set  up the Institute of China
 Deveopment Strategies. The purpose of this project is to gather the best minds
 among oversea Chinese for the benefit of China.  For this purpose we need to
 get as many qualified people involved as possible. At the present we are in the
 process of assembling a concerned and prestigious advisory committee,  and an
 impressive  and active founding committee.
>
>More details about the institute can be found in our initial  proposal below.
>Thank you.  I understand that you are managing  China-NT. I wonder whether it
 is possible to distribute the following message through the net.
>
>Thank you.
>
>Wei Ren
>
>****************************************************
>CALL  FOR ESTABLISHING THE INSTITUTE OF CHINA  DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES
>
>
>Dear Compatriots,
>
>As Chinese, we all share a deep sense of responsibility to China. We all hope
 that she will be prosperous, healthy,  strong,  and make us proud. As oversea
 Chinese, what and how can we contribute?
>
>One of the most effective and painless ways to contribute is perhaps to use our
 collective experience, wisdom and influence to provide intellectual inputs on
 the development strategies for China, long term as well as short term,
 macroscopic as well as microscopic. Using our collective expertise as well as
>our contacts we can contribute in every imaginable area, such as
 communications, transportation, energy, microelectronics, finance, management
 ...the list is endless.
>
>Indeed,  we oversea Chinese are at a uniquely advantageous position to be able
 to provide significant contributions through this angle. We understand China
 and her people and culture,   we have expertise and experience that are still
>lacking in China,   we may have a better global perspective, and we have no
 ulterior interests or motives but  our ardent desire to better her.
>
>Good or optimal development strategies are particularly important to China due
 to the lack of them, her size and her relative backwardness. Good and forward
 looking strategies will allow her to leapfrog advanced nations. Take
 telecommunication as an example. The communication infrastructure and
 technology of China lags behind advanced nations many years. Meanwhile,
 revolutionary advances in telecommunication  and network technology are taking
 place in the west. Clearly,  following other's footsteps is extremely
 unefficient, nor purchasing and upgrading equipment  without overall planning
 economical. So what
>is the optimal development strategy given the financial and technological
 constraints? This is the type of problems which we wish to answer based on the
 collective expertise of concerned professionals.
>
>For these reasons I propose to establish the Institute of China Development
 Strategies (ICDS), whose membership  will mostly consist of oversea Chinese
 professionals of all walks. Of course we also welcome highly qualified people
 in mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. The mission of the institute will be
 to study optimal development  strategies for China, to provide concrete
 suggestions, to provide  regular channels that oversea information and advices
>can be passed to appropriate authorities in China, and to provide  regular
 channels for mutually beneficial collaborations. Organized around this mission,
>the institute should be an attractive case for fundraising. The outputs of the
 institute will be in the form of institute-sanctioned  articles  in news media
 and reports to be forwarded to Chinese authorities, and possibly a regular
 journal.
>
>
>Is it possible for the institute to function effectively in dealing with this
 enormously complex task,  relying on distributed human resource?  The answer is
 YES. We can organize ourselves into specialized committees such as
 telecommunication, computers, banking etc.  We can rely heavily on  modern
>electronic mail systems,  which is bound to become even more  accessible,  as
 an easy means to interact and communicate with one another. This also  helps to
 keep our operating cost low. Retreats and symposiums can be organized to
 provide a focused forum for extended discussions in a relaxed atmosphere. It is
 worth
>emphasizing that such discussions and contacts will also be very beneficial for
 our own professional development. Contacts will be established and fostered
 with
> organizations, agencies, and authorities in China, which may also become a
>source of funding for our activities. Prominent figures will be invited to join
>to lend their experience, prestige and influence. However, it can not be
 overemphasized that it is you and I, and everyone of us that will make a
 difference.
>
>Collectively we can indeed become an intellectual force to be reckoned with on
 the issues of China development strategies.  Properly organized, the institute
 will become a de facto  decentralized think tank of large scale and of   the
 highest caliber. I firmly believe that we can make contributions in this unique
 way.
>
>Should you be interested in getting involved or just like to be on our mailing
 list, or have any questions and suggestions, please let me know. Your help in
>disseminating this proposal will  be very much appreciated. A Chinese version
 of the proposal is available on-line upon request. Currently the Association of
 Chinese Professionals-California Chapter is the main sponsor of the institute.
 We are actively seeking other organizations that are interested in endorsing
 it.
>
>If you respond by email,  please kindly provide me with  the following
 information:  name, area of interest, and any other pertinent information
 (title, organization, experience, educational background, ... ).
>
>
>Sincerely,
>
>Wei Ren
>Assistant Professor
>Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences
>University of California
>Berkeley, CA 94720
>ren@hera.berkeley.edu,510-642-2353 (o), 510-848-5708  (h)
>
>
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