Rising Leaders Tackle Beijing and Washington Relationship

On the evening of November 13, 2013, Meridian hosted its third gathering of the Rising Leaders Council, which convenes leaders from the foreign diplomatic community with DC-based professionals, for a salon dinner and substantive discussion. The topic of the evening — “From Beijing to Washington: The View from the Capitals” — was addressed by New Yorker contributor Evan Osnos, who only recently moved to Washington after being the magazine’s correspondent in China, where he has lived since 2005.

As the evening’s featured speaker, Mr. Osnos shared framing remarks about the U.S.-China relationship over dinner, and then turned the topic over to guests to further grapple with at their respective tables and reconvene over dessert and coffee. Council Co-Chairs Clara Brillembourg and Astri Kimball hosted the evening, with members of the Rising Leaders’ Steering Committee serving as chairs to guide each table’s discussion. To conclude the evening, Mr. Osnos was interviewed by Ms. Kimball, who posed a series of thoughtful questions to the author, including “what has living in China taught you about being an American?” The Council’s “salon style” dinner series offers guests the unique opportunity to explore key topical issues, share diverse perspectives, and strengthen relationships among this informed group.