The gathering reviewed the year's work, encouraged members to exchange experience, explored emerging ideas in artificial intelligence and the science of healthy aging, and strengthened cooperation through a warm year-end celebration.
At 4:00 p.m. on December 15, 2024, the Pacific Oriental Enterprise Association held its Annual Meeting and Celebration in San Mateo, California. The event was both a yearly review and a forward-looking gathering, giving members an important opportunity to connect and exchange experience. Supervisory Board Chair Cindy hosted the meeting, which unfolded in a lively and welcoming atmosphere.
Members Gather to Renew Friendships
The event began with introductions from everyone in attendance. Long-standing members and first-time participants met in a relaxed setting, exchanged stories, and shared accomplishments and experience from their respective fields. The conversations deepened mutual understanding and laid a strong foundation for future cooperation.
President's Annual Review and Outlook
President Gong then delivered the annual review. He reported that POEA had developed 63 organizational members during the year, strengthened commercial cooperation between China and the United States, and continued to improve its governance. The association also organized business delegations from China to Hong Kong, Japan, and Thailand, helping quality Chinese products enter international markets. He noted that 2024 brought both challenges and opportunities. Through the collective efforts of its members, POEA overcame difficulties and achieved steady development.
Executive President Chen Wei also participated in major exhibitions and conferences in the United States and China throughout the year. These included the US-China Sister Cities Summit in Seattle, a cross-border e-commerce conference in Los Angeles, and technology exhibitions in Las Vegas. His participation helped POEA identify new business and partnership opportunities, expand its international perspective, integrate technology and resources, and strengthen the association's influence and growth potential.
Artificial Intelligence: Emerging Technology and Industry Applications
A featured part of the meeting focused on artificial intelligence. Entrepreneur George Lee first shared his perspective on AI's future, with particular attention to practical applications for companies and small and medium-sized enterprises.
Lee said that AI development in 2025 would concentrate on large language models and industry-specific AI tools. He highlighted leading global models, including OpenAI's ChatGPT, Anthropic's Claude, Google's Gemini, Meta's Llama, and xAI's Grok, and explained their broad use in business. He also introduced AI-powered search and creative tools, including Perplexity for investment research, Harvey for healthcare, and Midjourney for image creation.
Lee noted that AI is creating new opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses, particularly in areas where human work is inefficient or repetitive. Applied effectively, AI can substantially increase productivity and reduce costs. His presentation combined a view of the technology frontier with practical industry insight for participants.
Silicon Valley AI specialist Cai Jijun also shared recent technology developments and his experience organizing large online and in-person summits around the world. He has organized more than 300 summits to date. A San Francisco event held during the year attracted more than 30,000 participants and generated significant impact. He described how AI supported event planning and execution, from improving the online conference experience to making marketing more precise. His presentation showed how AI can create value in conference management and large-scale events and offered new ideas for future industry development.
Featured Lecture: The Science of Healthy Aging
UC Berkeley professor Li Hao delivered an in-depth presentation on the widely discussed subject of healthy aging. Using scientific images and research findings, he explained that aging is a universal human process and reviewed recent progress in extending healthy life. From the perspective of genes and signaling pathways, he examined evolutionarily conserved mechanisms that affect lifespan in model organisms, including the Sir2 gene associated with resveratrol, the TOR signaling pathway associated with rapamycin, and the insulin/IGF pathway involving daf-2 and daf-16.
Professor Li highlighted research on rapamycin and cited a study published in Nature showing that the drug significantly extended lifespan in genetically heterogeneous mice, including when treatment began later in life. The finding further demonstrated the potential of pharmacological intervention in aging research.
Through an accessible presentation supported by scientific illustrations, Professor Li introduced members to frontier research and discussed programs, products, and practical approaches that may support health and longevity. His talk prompted lively discussion and positive feedback from the audience.
Dinner, Fellowship, and Celebration
After the presentations, POEA hosted a dinner for its members. Over music, food, and wine, participants discussed cooperation, exchanged experience, renewed friendships, and celebrated the New Year and Christmas season. The warm and energetic gathering reflected POEA's cohesion and influence and left members with new ideas and lasting memories. As 2024 drew to a close, everyone looked ahead to a new chapter and a more promising future built together.
Content source: the Word document “Chamber of Commerce 2024 Annual Summary,” supplied by the user. This web edition includes the complete source text and all seven event photographs, with headings and captions added for readability.