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Cooperation builds understanding
By Lydia Chen |
July 4, 2011, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
BEATRICE Camp always thought she wanted to work overseas. Now, she's in Shanghai. After nearly 27 years in the US foreign service, the Alabama-born diplomat considers Shanghai her most fascinating posting, a place where she can meet all kinds of interesting people from around the world.
As the 34th consul general of the United States in Shanghai since 1844, the former New York City journalist is the first woman to hold the post and considers it good to be noticed because she's a female. She is a Chinese speaker.
"I think I benefit from that, although personally I don't feel there is any difference in being a female or a male diplomat," Camp says.
"The key is to balance your family and work no matter what you do for a career," she adds.
After three years in Shanghai, Camp is to return to Washington DC in August.
Apart from welcoming senior officials such as President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and high-level business people, an important part of Camp's job is protecting the interests of almost 35,000 American citizens living in Shanghai and the rest of the consular district that includes Anhui, Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces.
She meets quarterly with the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, the largest AmCham in Asia representing local businesses and US business interests, briefing them about visa and business issues and letting them know that they can call on the consulate whenever they have a need.
As the honorary president of the local American Women's Club, Camp also invites club members to the consulate every year to give them more information about citizen services and answer their questions.
To reach more Americans in China, she encourages all of her compatriots here to register at the consulate's website online "so they can get regular e-mails providing up-to-date information," Camp says.
But that's not all. Being a consul general also means she needs to reach out to let more Chinese know about her country, one of the most popular nations in last year's World Expo Shanghai.
An active speaker at universities, Camp, who once worked as a teacher in Thailand, says she is eager to meet students as much as possible and is happy to answer their questions about the United States and see them join cultural exchange programs.
But sometimes, she too feels a bit of culture shock.
Camp says she's still baffled by the fact that many Chinese line up in front of the US Consulate office in Westgate Mall as early as 5am to apply for visas, when in fact, they only need to arrive half an hour before their scheduled appointment.
With expectations that the number of applicants will continue to rise following last year's 42 percent jump, the US consulate is now in talks with the mall to expand space so that fewer people will have to wait in long queues on the street, Camp says.
"We are also waiting for a response from the Shanghai government to find us land where we can build a new consulate with sufficient space," she adds. "There will be a large waiting room to hold all the applicants and more service windows so that we can interview them more quickly."
Allowing more Chinese to go to the United States certainly helps better the understanding between the world's two largest economies.
"There are always problems in any relationship," Camp says. "But those problems do not poison the entire ties because what we cooperate on is much bigger than what we argue about."
Camp is a fan of Shanghai's dumplings and xiaolongbao (little steamed buns).
After she returns to Washington, she won't forget Shanghai and says she will cheer for the city in this year's Solar Decathalon competition in September in the American capital.
The annual competition, held by the US Department of Energy since 2002, is an international contest in which 20 collegiate teams try to design, build and operate the most attractive, effective and energy-efficient solar-powered house.
This year, a team from Tongji University is the only Asian team chosen to compete.
"I'll be sure to go and say jiayou (it is often used during sporting events, in which spectators often chant for their favorite player) for them in the fall," Camp promises.
America by the numbers
32
The US established diplomatic ties with the People's Republic of China in January 1979, over 32 years ago. The US diplomatic presence in Shanghai dates back to 1844. Last year the US consulate in Shanghai celebrated the 30th anniversary of the reopening of the consulate after a 30-year absence.
US$456.8b
US-China bilateral trade in 2010 was valued at US$456.8 billion, an increase of almost 24.8 percent from 2009, according to the US Department of Commerce.
1,800
Around 1,800 US subsidiaries (not counting branches of retail firms like Starbucks, McDonald's, Wall Street English) are operating in Shanghai, according to the Commerce Department.
35,000
Around 35,000 American citizens live in Shanghai and the consular district that includes Anhui, Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces.
42%
In 2010, 238,917 Chinese applied for non-immigrant visas, a 42 percent increase over the previous year. Shanghai is the fourth-largest visa issuing post in the world, after Sao Paolo, Brazil; Beijing and Bogota, Colombia.
3.62m
Around 3.62 million Asians of Chinese descent live in the US, according to the 2008 US Census Bureau survey. Chinese students in the US during 2009-2010 numbered 127,628, an increase of almost 30 percent from the previous year.
As the 34th consul general of the United States in Shanghai since 1844, the former New York City journalist is the first woman to hold the post and considers it good to be noticed because she's a female. She is a Chinese speaker.
"I think I benefit from that, although personally I don't feel there is any difference in being a female or a male diplomat," Camp says.
"The key is to balance your family and work no matter what you do for a career," she adds.
After three years in Shanghai, Camp is to return to Washington DC in August.
Apart from welcoming senior officials such as President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and high-level business people, an important part of Camp's job is protecting the interests of almost 35,000 American citizens living in Shanghai and the rest of the consular district that includes Anhui, Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces.
She meets quarterly with the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, the largest AmCham in Asia representing local businesses and US business interests, briefing them about visa and business issues and letting them know that they can call on the consulate whenever they have a need.
As the honorary president of the local American Women's Club, Camp also invites club members to the consulate every year to give them more information about citizen services and answer their questions.
To reach more Americans in China, she encourages all of her compatriots here to register at the consulate's website online "so they can get regular e-mails providing up-to-date information," Camp says.
But that's not all. Being a consul general also means she needs to reach out to let more Chinese know about her country, one of the most popular nations in last year's World Expo Shanghai.
An active speaker at universities, Camp, who once worked as a teacher in Thailand, says she is eager to meet students as much as possible and is happy to answer their questions about the United States and see them join cultural exchange programs.
But sometimes, she too feels a bit of culture shock.
Camp says she's still baffled by the fact that many Chinese line up in front of the US Consulate office in Westgate Mall as early as 5am to apply for visas, when in fact, they only need to arrive half an hour before their scheduled appointment.
With expectations that the number of applicants will continue to rise following last year's 42 percent jump, the US consulate is now in talks with the mall to expand space so that fewer people will have to wait in long queues on the street, Camp says.
"We are also waiting for a response from the Shanghai government to find us land where we can build a new consulate with sufficient space," she adds. "There will be a large waiting room to hold all the applicants and more service windows so that we can interview them more quickly."
Allowing more Chinese to go to the United States certainly helps better the understanding between the world's two largest economies.
"There are always problems in any relationship," Camp says. "But those problems do not poison the entire ties because what we cooperate on is much bigger than what we argue about."
Camp is a fan of Shanghai's dumplings and xiaolongbao (little steamed buns).
After she returns to Washington, she won't forget Shanghai and says she will cheer for the city in this year's Solar Decathalon competition in September in the American capital.
The annual competition, held by the US Department of Energy since 2002, is an international contest in which 20 collegiate teams try to design, build and operate the most attractive, effective and energy-efficient solar-powered house.
This year, a team from Tongji University is the only Asian team chosen to compete.
"I'll be sure to go and say jiayou (it is often used during sporting events, in which spectators often chant for their favorite player) for them in the fall," Camp promises.
America by the numbers
32
The US established diplomatic ties with the People's Republic of China in January 1979, over 32 years ago. The US diplomatic presence in Shanghai dates back to 1844. Last year the US consulate in Shanghai celebrated the 30th anniversary of the reopening of the consulate after a 30-year absence.
US$456.8b
US-China bilateral trade in 2010 was valued at US$456.8 billion, an increase of almost 24.8 percent from 2009, according to the US Department of Commerce.
1,800
Around 1,800 US subsidiaries (not counting branches of retail firms like Starbucks, McDonald's, Wall Street English) are operating in Shanghai, according to the Commerce Department.
35,000
Around 35,000 American citizens live in Shanghai and the consular district that includes Anhui, Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces.
42%
In 2010, 238,917 Chinese applied for non-immigrant visas, a 42 percent increase over the previous year. Shanghai is the fourth-largest visa issuing post in the world, after Sao Paolo, Brazil; Beijing and Bogota, Colombia.
3.62m
Around 3.62 million Asians of Chinese descent live in the US, according to the 2008 US Census Bureau survey. Chinese students in the US during 2009-2010 numbered 127,628, an increase of almost 30 percent from the previous year.
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