At the Governor’s Mansion, Hearing the Weight of “Connection”
— A Recap of the 2026 Annual Board Meeting of the Chinese-American Economic and Cultural Association (CAECA)
by Yalan Xu
At noon on April 16, 2026, at the North Carolina Governor’s Mansion, spring light fell across white walls and tall window frames. Crystal chandeliers hung quietly overhead, and a red carpet stretched inward. The 2026 Annual Board Meeting of the Chinese-American Economic and Cultural Association (CAECA) was held here. Approximately 60 attendees—including board members, invited guests, and elected officials at various levels—gathered to witness this moment and listen to the keynote address by Dr. Yimin Yang, the first mainland Chinese immigrant to establish a bank in the United States.
Expanding the Platform, Strengthening the Bridge
The Secretary General, Jane Zheng, who hosted the meeting, introduced that CAECA was officially established on December 1, 2015, with the mission of building a platform to promote economic and cultural exchange and cooperation between China and the United States. Guided by the spirit of “making the greatest sacrifice and the greatest contribution,” the association has continuously advanced bilateral interaction and development. To date, it has approximately 45 board members and more than 70 advisors, all contributing to its mission and growth.
The Chairman opened the meeting with remarks, reflecting on the association’s journey—from its early days rooted in the community to its expanding influence—and expressed a forward-looking vision: to continue enlarging the platform and strengthening the bridge.
The President read a congratulatory letter from the Chinese Embassy in the United States. The letter noted that the association is rooted in the Chinese community while connecting China and the United States, actively promoting cultural exchange and economic cooperation. It also expressed hope that the association would continue to deepen grassroots engagement and contribute to the stable and healthy development of China-U.S. relations.
At this year’s meeting, 18 individuals were presented with recognition letters in appreciation of their long-term contributions.
A founding chairman remarked, “Rome was not built in a day, and neither was CAECA,” expressing both the difficulty and perseverance behind building the platform, as well as his heartfelt gratitude.
A renowned piano educator performed the U.S. national anthem live, opening the annual meeting with a solemn tone. A pastor led a prayer, asking for God’s blessing on America and for world peace. Due to security delays at the mansion, the host adjusted the agenda decisively to ensure the meeting proceeded efficiently and successfully.
More than a dozen U.S. officials at various levels attended and delivered remarks. One local county official noted the county’s continued population growth and the increasing importance of multicultural development, expressing particular appreciation for the contributions of the Chinese American community.
Dr. Yimin Yang’s Keynote Reveals the Logic of “Leverage”
Marking its 10th anniversary, CAECA arranged a keynote speech for the first time at its annual board meeting. The distinguished speaker, Dr. Yimin Yang from Atlanta, is recognized as the first mainland Chinese immigrant to establish a bank in the United States.
Dr. Yang, who has recently been visiting North Carolina as a guest professor, is a founding partner, board member, Chief Risk Officer, and Chief Credit Officer of Loyal Trust Bank. He previously served as a senior partner at Protiviti and led risk analytics teams at major U.S. banks such as PNC and SunTrust. He graduated from Peking University and holds a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Chicago, a master’s degree in computational studies from Carnegie Mellon University, and a master’s degree from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He is also a tenured professor at the University of Minnesota.
His keynote, titled “Banking: A Delicate Balance between Business, Innovation, and Regulation,” began with the concept of leverage.
Leverage, he explained, is essentially an accelerator. When used well, it amplifies returns; when misused, it rapidly magnifies risk. While it sounds like a financial principle, it also reflects a deeper logic underlying many aspects of today’s world.
In his speech, he emphasized that finance is not a collection of cold terminology, but a real-world structure balancing efficiency, risk, and responsibility. He discussed options, derivatives, and embedded leverage, as well as modern financial regulatory tensions. In his view, the key issue is not simply whether to innovate, but whether innovation sufficiently understands risk and respects boundaries. Efficiency is exciting, but once a system becomes unstable, the cost is rarely borne by only a few.
He posed a penetrating question: Who can legally operate with sustained high leverage? His answer: banks. For this reason, banking has never been an industry solely about profit. At its core are trust, regulation, risk control, and the ongoing effort to balance efficiency and stability.
What made his speech particularly compelling was how he brought theory back to practice. After the 2008 financial crisis, the U.S. banking sector underwent deep restructuring, and approvals for new banks nearly came to a halt. Against this backdrop, his team still decided to establish a fully compliant new bank for the community. After three years of preparation and just six weeks of fundraising, they successfully founded the first U.S. bank led by mainland Chinese immigrants.
At that point, finance was no longer just about formulas and case studies—it became a real community capability: the ability to build structures under strict regulations, integrate resources, establish long-term trust, and survive crises. Even more striking, just three months after the bank opened, the pandemic hit. He later served as acting CEO, stepping into the community to help more than 1,400 small businesses apply for and receive PPP loans.
At that moment, the meaning of banking extended beyond leverage, regulation, and barriers to entry—it became a force that could shield a community in its most difficult times.
At the end of his speech, he concluded with three principles: being customer-centered, innovation-driven, and compliance-based. These principles apply not only to banking, but to any organization seeking long-term sustainability.
Epilogue: The Weight of the Day
At the conclusion of the event, the host expressed gratitude to all attendees and extended special thanks to the Governor’s Mansion staff for their support and coordination.
As the applause faded, the afternoon light softened. Attendees began taking photos, conversing, and exchanging contact information. The meeting had ended, but something seemed to have just begun.
What remained was not merely a record of an event, nor simply the presence of distinguished guests. What remained was a clearer realization: a truly vital organization, like CAECA, does more than bring people together. More importantly, it connects resources, institutions, trust, expertise, and the future—gradually, but meaningfully.
And this ability to connect is precisely what is most scarce—and most valuable—in the age of artificial intelligence: often imitated, yet never replaced.
北美发布 特约 雅岚 报道
2026年4月16日中午，北卡州长官邸。春光落在洁白的墙面与高高的窗棂之间，水晶灯静静垂下，红毯一路向里。美中经济文化协会（CAECA）2026年度理事会会议正在这里举行，协会理事、特邀嘉宾及各级官选官员共60人共同见证了这一历史时刻，聆听了在美国创办银行的大陆移民第一人——杨一民博士的主题演讲。
继续把平台做大、把桥梁搭稳
主持会议的秘书长郑洁介绍，CAECA 于2015年12月1日正式成立，旨在搭建一个促进中美两国经济与文化交流与合作的平台；协会秉持“做出最大的牺牲，作出最大的贡献”的精神，不断推动双边互动与发展，截至目前已拥有约45位董事成员、70多位顾问，共同为协会的发展与使命贡献力量。
董事长牛志文博士致辞开幕，谈到协会从小到大、从扎根社区到不断扩大影响力的过程，鼓舞人心地展望未来表示，要继续把平台做大、把桥梁搭稳。
会长李勐宣读了中国驻美国大使馆发来贺信。贺信提到：协会根植华社，联通中美，积极促进人文交流与经贸合作，并希望协会继续深耕民间交流，为中美关系的健康稳定发展贡献更多力量。
本届理事会特别向18位人士颁发嘉奖函（recognization letters）以感谢他们的长期贡献：邢新力、牛志文、李勐、江孙东、柯秀亭、Lisa Huang、肖美勇、刘洋、南汝斌、周天民、赵贵国、户长毅、Kelly Zhou、官诗晖、陈琰、张伟用、陈海勇、Roger Yiu。
创会董事长卫高荣在讲话时说：“罗马不是一天造成的，CAECA也不是一天造成的。”表达搭建这个平台一路走来的不易与坚持，以及发自内心的欣慰和感激。
钢琴教育名家柯秀亭现场弹奏美国国歌，为CAECA年会拉开庄严序幕；陈可燕牧师带领大家祷告，祈求上帝保佑美国（God bless America）与世界和平当天的年会；因为官邸安检延误了时间，主持人郑洁果断调整会议流程，保障会议高效、圆满举行。
十余位美国各级政要出席当天的会议并带来祝贺和感言。其中，威克县（Wake County）议长Don Mial先生谈到该县人口持续增长，多元文化建设日趋重要，特别感谢华裔社区的贡献。
各级政要先后讲话表示赞赏和支持
杨一民博士主题演讲揭示“杠杆”的秘密
创立10年的美中经文协会，第一次在理事会年会上特别安排主题演讲，重量级嘉宾来自亚特兰大——在美国创立银行的大陆移民第一人杨一民博士。
这个春季频繁来访北卡在杜克大学担任客座教授的杨一民，是美国Loyal Trust Bank（鼎信银行）创始合伙人、董事、首席风险官和信用官。曾任Protiviti高级总监合伙人，为美国PNC银行，SunTrust银行创建并领导风险分析部门多年。毕业于北京大学，获芝加哥大学数学博士，卡内基梅隆大学网络硕士和中科院数学所硕士，是明尼苏达大学终身教授。
在北卡州长官邸，杨一民教授的演讲题目是：银行：商业、创新与监管之间的微妙平衡（Banking: A Delicate Balance between Business, Innovation, and Regulation）。
杨教授先从“杠杆”讲起。他说，杠杆本质上是一个加速器，用得好，可以放大收益，用得不好，也会迅速放大风险。听起来像一句金融法则，细想却也是这个时代很多事情的底层逻辑。
在他的演讲中说，金融并不是冷冰冰的术语堆砌，而是一整套关于效率、风险与责任的现实结构。他提到期权、衍生品与嵌入式杠杆，也提到蚂蚁集团、马云言论以及现代金融监管的张力。在他看来，真正的问题不只是“敢不敢创新”，而是创新是否足够理解风险，是否足够尊重边界。效率当然令人兴奋，但一旦系统失稳，代价往往不会只由少数人承担。
他提出一个极有穿透力的问题：谁可以合法地长期使用高杠杆？答案是：银行。也正因此，银行从来不是一个只谈赚钱的行业。它的底层，是信任，是监管，是风险控制，是在效率与稳定之间不断寻找平衡。
杨一民教授最打动人的地方，并不只是理论，而是他把这一切最终拉回到了实践。在2008年金融危机之后，美国银行业经历深度调整，新银行审批几乎停滞。在这样的背景下，他们仍然决定为社区创办一家真正合规的新银行。三年筹备，六周完成融资，并最终创办了美国第一家由中国大陆移民主导的银行。到了这里，金融不再只是公式与案例，而成了一种现实中的社区能力：能不能在严格制度下搭建架构，能不能整合资源，能不能建立长期信任，能不能在危机中活下来。更令人印象深刻的是，银行开业仅三个月，就遇上疫情。后来他担任代理CEO，主动进入社区，帮助1400多家中小企业申请和发放PPP贷款。
那一刻，银行的意义不再只是高杠杆、高监管与高门槛，而是在最困难的时候，替社区挡一阵风。
演讲最后，他用三句话作结：以客户为中心，以创新为驱动，以合规为基石。这三句话，不只适用于银行，其实也适用于任何一个想长久走下去的平台与组织。
尾声：这一天的分量
活动最后，主持人郑洁代表协会向与会嘉宾致谢，并特别感谢州长官邸执行主任Mr. Robinson及全体工作人员所给予的支持与协调。
掌声落下时，午后的光线也渐渐柔和下来。人群开始合影、交谈、交换联系方式。会议结束了，但有些东西，似乎才刚刚开始。
这一天留下来的，不只是一次活动记录，也不只是几位重要嘉宾的到场。它留下来的，是一种更清晰的判断：今天真正有生命力的协会，恰如CAECA，不只是把人聚在一起，更重要的是，能把资源、制度、信任、专业与未来……慢慢连接起来。而这种“连接力”，恰恰就是AI时代最稀缺、也最值得珍惜的能力：常常被模仿，从未被代替。
