The Detroit Council for World Affairs (DCWA) at Wayne State University and the National Committee on United States-China Relations will host a China Town Hall meeting on May 31, at 6:30 pm at the WSU Law School Auditorium at 471 W. Palmer, Detroit, Mich. The event will be held one week after the strategic economic dialogue between American and Chinese officials in Washington DC (scheduled for May 23-24, 2007). Parking is available in the Palmer Street structure across from the Law School for $3.50.

“This town hall meeting reflects America’s growing socio-economic interdependence with China,” noted Dr. Frederic Pearson, director of the Center for Peace and Conflict Studies. “We believe it is important to give Detroiters an opportunity to understand and discuss this relationship and how it affects them in the context of the economic vitality of our region and the importance of improving education in both countries.”

Detroit is one of 30 cities that will be briefed by Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Christopher R. Hill, via a live video cast. He will be available for interactive questions in a conversation moderated by Stephen A. Orlins, president of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations.

The Detroit program will also feature Wayne State University Professor of Mathematics Dr. Guozhen Lu, who is a member of Governor Granholm’s Advisory Council on Asian Pacific American Affairs. Other participants include: Dr. Mingan Tan, president of the Detroit Chinese Business Association; Walter Zhou, president of the Chinese Association of Greater Detroit; and, Lynn Paine, associate professor of Teacher Education at Michigan State University.

The China Town Hall Meeting is free and open to the public. For more information visit http://www.clas.wayne.edu/pcs/  or call (313) 577-8270.

The Detroit Council for World Affairs promotes understanding of international issues and Detroit’s role in a changing world by providing a non-partisan, nation-wide forum for discussion, analysis and debate. DCWA seeks to enrich, educate, and spur long-term economic development in our region and to provide new ideas and cultural perspectives in regards to various issues.

Wayne State University is a premier institution of higher education offering more than 350 academic programs through 11 schools and colleges to nearly 33,000 students.