February 11, 2009 — A conference aimed at learning not only what went wrong with the global economy but also how to fix it will be held Feb. 14 at the University of Virginia.

The Asian-Pacific and American Business Summit is the sponsor of the conference. The organization holds conferences twice a year in Asian countries and the United States, said U.Va. student Haiting Wang, who is leading the conference.

The organization provides students with the opportunity to have direct contact with leaders of various business-related fields throughout Asia and America. "Our mission is to generate new ideas and to inspire the younger generation to work toward leadership roles in the international business arena in the era of globalization," she said.

Wang is leading a team of 30 students to put on the conference.

The program will begin at 9 a.m. in Newcomb Hall and conclude with a reception at 6 p.m. The keynote address will be delivered by Gowher Rizvi, U.Va.'s vice provost of international programs.

Panels during the day will focus on:

• "China's Long Boom – What Can We Expect Now?" Thomas G. Rawski, professor of economics and history at the University of Pittsburgh;

• "Changing Values of Chinese Youth and the Rise of Materialism and the Middle Class" with Stanley Rosen, director of the East Asian Studies Center, University of Southern California

• "Creating Economic Value in a New World Order: The Possibilities of Asia and the West" with Robert Kemp, Sr. Research Professor at the McIntire School of Commerce at U.Va;

• "Understanding Chinese Economy" with Xiaoming Peter Yu, assistant dean in U.Va.'s Office of African-American Affairs and Team Leader of Darden China Program.

The summit is part of the Inter-Cultural Dialogue for World Citizens, a nonprofit based in Charlottesville that operates at the University but is independent.