On April 10th, 2013, Elaine Chao, former Secretary of Labor of the United States, together with her father and sister, visited Peking University. She answered questions from Peking University students in the PKU Yingjie Exchange Center.

About US-China relationship

I’m in China this time because my sister and my father have just come from Boao Forum. I think the Boao Forum is a wonderful opportunity to introduce China to the rest of the world. I’ve been to Davos for many times. Recent years, two topics are dominant in Davos: one is China; second is India. Yet there were very few of Chinese in Davos, and very few of Indians in Davos. I thought that they really should have much greater representation. So Boao Forum provides an additional perspective as to what is happening in Asia.

I think the largest challenge for US-China’s relation is the communication’s gap. Chinese culture, Chinese philosophy, Chinese way of thinking is very different from the American way of thinking, philosophy, tradition and culture. And yet looking ahead, these two nations form one of the most important bilateral relationships. There is no choice but for the two nations to learn to co-exist harmoniously for the benefit of world peace and world security. I can give you many examples of miscommunications. I think going ahead both nations have much to learn from one another. Both nations have their own way of doing things. Both have to understand, communicate and better understand each other.
 

About her career

I don’t think my career as in politics. I think much more in terms of public service. My job, when I was the Deputy Secretary of Transportation, was to make the transport system of the United States safer; my job as the Secretary of Labor was to ensure better working conditions for workers. So my experience was very much a one focused on the mission of the department. I was very much aware as the first Asian-American female ever appointed to a president’s cabinet in American history, that whatever I did was reflective of overall Asians. So I worked very hard to include more Asians in my department. I wanted more Asian-Americans to feel confident when they walked into the Department of Labor or the Department of Transportation. Because when I was starting my career, there were very few Asian-Americans. I wanted to include more Asian-Americans in the Department of Labor because that was where I had control. So I have always had a number of Asian-American appointees in the Department of Labor at very high levels, because I want to encourage more Asian-Americans in the government and to help them feel confident that they belong to the government, and that they can govern like other people.

About her family

I had a lot of difficulties. What gave me a lot of inspiration was my parents. So for the question as to what did I find important in my support, in my career, I think you should all have the same thing: you have wonderful families. That is a treasure, an asset that all Chinese share, regardless of whether you are in America, in China, in South Korea, in New Zealand, in Australia – all of us emphasize family.

Before we end, I want to make a couple of points. You see my father here. He is incredibly modest and humble. My mother passed away in 2007. He still lives in the same house that they lived in for the past forty-one years. He goes to work every day. My father never thought to make money. That was not his goal. As you can see, his goal was to serve society, be a good person, and contribute to people around him. So that’s a lesson – money is not important; but if you really do something you love, that you care about, you will be successful. And when you are successful, the financial rewards will come.
 

For us children, we don’t enjoy the financial rewards. It’s my parents’ money. They can do whatever they want with it. We have always been taught that money is not to be enjoyed; wealth is to be used for a purpose, a higher purpose, a greater purpose, to help society. And that’s why I’m so proud of my sisters, because all of them have that thinking.

About the future of China

Last point, there is a lot of admiration and criticism of America right now. I understand that. But the most important thing is that neither side of them is good or bad. China has to find its own path. You have your own problems. You cannot adopt the American solutions without adjustment. China has to find its own solution to its own problems, to its own way. You are going to be the leaders of China for the future. And so you should take pride in your Chinese culture, in your Chinese heritage, and help your country find its own path forward.