I.       Introduction

 

-          CAST began operations in 1988.  It was founded by Xue-wei Wang, MD, a burn surgeon at the University Hospital of Colorado and his wife Ying-bei Zhang, MD, a “Parkinson Disease” research specialist at the University Hospital of Colorado. 

　

-          CAST officially registered with the Secretary of State of Colorado in 1992. In 1993, the organization received its 501(c)3 status, and in 1996, its permanent tax-exempt status.

　

-          CAST’s mission is to promote and enhance mutual understanding and development of cultural, educational, social, and economic ties between China and the US. CAST supports the expansion of global awareness and is designed to help eliminate cultural and language barriers between China and the US in the development of new partnerships.

　

　

II.      CAST Founders

　

-          Dr. Xue-wei Wang, an Internationally renowned Burn Surgeon, and Dr. Ying-bei Zhang, an well respected OB/GYN doctor, practiced medicine in China for 20 years.  During the Cultural Revolution, they were persecuted for their family history as counter-revolutionists. 

　

-          After Deng Xiao-ping opened China for the first time in 1979, Drs. Wang and Zhang were among those in the very first group of highly trained professionals to visit the US.  In 1982, after years of struggle, they were able to immigrate to the US and started working for the University of Colorado Health and Sciences Center (UCHSC) in Denver, Colorado.

　

-          In 1988, they became US citizens and founded a grass-root and public-supported CAST.  Initially, they used CAST to help the recently immigrated Chinese in the local communities adapt to the American way of life.  Over time, CAST shifted its focus into a more proactive role with China.  Starting in the early 1990s, CAST organized monthly seminars, symposiums, and conferences dealing with cultural, educational, economic, and social issues between China and the US.  Many guest speakers from Mainland China and Taiwan were invited to these events.  Dr. Wang and Dr. Zhang developed meaningful ways to demonstrate their passion, and CAST’s mission was articulated.  Their goal is to better China's society and promote mutual understanding between China and US.

　

 

III.    CAST’s Early Exchange Programs

　

-          Setting out to accomplish its mission, CAST explored several ways to promote more exchanges between Mainland China and the US that would expose Chinese nationals to the American way of life.

　

-          In 1995, one of the programs CAST established was the Small Business Training Program.  This program brought business professionals and government officials from China to the US to study the Market Economy/Free Enterprise system practiced in the US.

　

-          Prior to its J-1 Program designation, CAST sponsored Small Business Training Programs with support from the US Small Business Administration (SBA), the Regional Office - Region VIII of the SBA, as well as the Colorado District Office of SBA and the Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) in Colorado.

　

-          Through the Small Business Training Program, CAST brought approximately twelve Chinese nationals each year to Denver, Colorado to participate in either short-term or long-term training. The first trainee group CAST sponsored was from the State Land Bureau of the Guangdong Provincial Government. They received training in the real-estate industry.  Mr. Bob Dawson, President of the Colorado Realtors’ Association at the time, lectured during their training.

　

-          In 1999, CAST formally applied for J-1 designation for its Small Business Training Program and subsequently changed the program’s name to the MBCFT Program.

　

Illustration 2       Aida Alvarez, US SBA Administrator, Endorsing CAST's SBT

Program

　

In 1999, CAST presented its SBT Program at a Round Table on Sino-US Trade Relations. 

　

 　

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

　

 

　

　

IV.    J-1 Designation Provides New Opportunities

 

-          In March of 2000, CAST became one of the first minority group organizations to secure the J-1 designation from the (former) United States Information Agency.  The designation was for a “High School” Student Exchange (P-3-05984) – the Denver Inter-Cultural Student Exchange.

　

-          In February of 2001, CAST received its J-1 Designation for the SBT program, which

was then renamed the Management, Business, Commerce, and Finance Training

Program (MBCFT).

　

　

V.      Promotion of J-1 Programs

 

-          To promote MBCFT, CAST employed a key strategy that had been successful in the past: engage leaders and decision-makers first.

　

-          For the past decade, CAST has worked to cultivate a professional relationship with local governments and a close, working relationship with government officials where programs were being planned.

　

-          US-Colorado ties have been promoted by facilitating exchanges of government officials and community leaders between China and the US.

　

　

Illustration 2       CHENG Si-yuan, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People’s Congress Meets CAST Education and Business Delegation.

　

In May of 2000, CAST organized the first Business and Education Exchange Delegation to visit China.  During the trip, the delegation visited Beijing, Shanghai, Yangzhou, and Xian.  The members met with Cheng Si-yuan (middle), who is the Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People’s Congress.  He was 93 years old and the most revered non-member of the communist party sitting on the Standing Committee of the People’s Congress.

　

 

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

Illustration 3       US Congressional Representatives Meet with CAST Founders

                             and Chinese Diplomats.

　

In December of 2003, US Congressman Bob Beauprez (Rep-CO) and US Congressman Tom Tancredo (Rep-CO) met with Vice Secretary General of the China International Cultural Exchange Center (CICEC) XU Tong-wu (Thomas).  CICEC has been a long-time working partner in China for CAST’s exchange programs.

　

 

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

 

　

 　

 

　

　

 VI.    Expansion of CAST’s J-1 Program – MBCFT

　

-          Following CAST’s designation for “High School” Exchange P-3-05984, the organization also received designation for “Specialty Training” Exchange P-3-06047, both J-1 “Exchange Visitor” Programs.

　

-          To promote the mutual exchanges between US and China, CAST increased its efforts to provide visibility for CAST and its J-1 Programs through high-level official exchanges and by building partnerships with similar Chinese national Non governmental Organizations such as the All China Youth League and the China International Cultural Exchange Center.

　

　

In September of 2001, Lt. Governor of Colorado, the Honorable Joe Rogers, along with CAST Founders Dr. Xue-wei Wang and Dr. Ying-bei Zhang, led a Colorado Business & Education Delegation and visited Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou, and Hubei Province. 

　

The Delegation met with the following key officials:

　

-          The Honorable Ms. HUANG Dan-hua, the Vice Chairwoman of the All China Youth Federation

-          The Honorable Mr. Zhu Qizhen, the Vice Chairman of the China International Cultural Exchange Center (CICEC), and Former Chinese Ambassador to the United States

-          The Honorable ZHOU Wen-zhong, the then Deputy Foreign Minister of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the current Chinese Ambassador to the US

　

The All China Youth Federation

The All China Youth Federation (ACYF), a non-governmental organization for the betterment of China's youth, has over the years produces many outstanding talented leaders for China’s central, provincial and local government officials.  This includes the Chinese President HU Jingtao, who was previously the Chairman and President of the ACYF.  Due to this relationship building with the ACYF, CAST was able to host a group of 17 junior officials and outstanding members from ACYF in 2001 and 2002 for 6 months of management training.

　

China International Culture Exchange Center

Established in 1984 in Beijing, China International Culture Exchange Center (CICEC) is a national non-governmental organization dedicated to people-to-people international culture exchanges. Its mission is to promote mutual understanding and co-operation between the Chinese people and the people of other countries. This is accomplished through its various exchange activities, thus contributing to China's economic development, scientific and technological progress, cultural prosperity and world peace.