To help Americans better understand the complex U.S.-China relationship and the growing role of Chinese investment, the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations is conducting the ninth annual CHINA Town Hall: Local Connections, National Reflections at more than 70 locations nationwide, including at Cal State San Bernardino.

“China’s Direct Investment in the U.S. and Its Impact on California’s Economy” will be held from 3:45-6:15 p.m. Monday, Oct. 5, at CSUSB’s Santos Manuel Student Union Theater.

Presented by the World Affairs Council Inland Southern California, attendees will hear former U.S. Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin as he leads an expert panel for a live “town hall” meeting to be broadcast nationwide on what China’s investments in the United States mean for American workers, communities and the economy.

The program is free and open to the public, but advance registration, which can be done online, is required. Register at the event website, http://goo.gl/forms/enHMo45YnC. Parking at CSUSB is $6.

Joining Rubin for the panel discussion will be Thomasville, Ala., Mayor Sheldon Day, whose city is the location of a major Chinese-owned factory, and Daniel Rosen, founding partner of the Rhodium Group. The panel’s discussion and responses to questions submitted by the nationwide audience will be moderated by Stephen Orlins, president of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations.

In addition to the national webcast, the WAC Inland Southern California program at CSUSB’s Santos Manuel Student Union Theater will focus on the impact of Chinese investment here in California.

Speaking at the CSUSB event will be Darlene Chiu Bryant, the executive director of ChinaSF, part of the San Francisco Center for Economic Development. She was appointed by San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee to stimulate economic growth and job creation through bilateral trade and investment between China and San Francisco. The ideas that she shares may be applied in inland Southern California.

China has rapidly emerged as one of the fastest growing sources of foreign direct investment in the United States, bringing increasing numbers of Chinese companies into U.S. communities and providing jobs to tens of thousands of Americans, as described in the May 2015 report “New Neighbors: Chinese Investment in the United States by Congressional District,” released by the National Committee and the Rhodium Group.

While foreign direct investment is a vital component of U.S. economic growth, employment and competitiveness, media coverage of a few high profile Chinese investments has focused on security and economic risks.

The National Committee on U.S.-China Relations is the leading national, non-partisan public affairs organization devoted exclusively to building constructive and durable relationships between the United States and China.

Local program sponsors include the World Affairs Council of Inland Southern California and the following CSUSB entities: the Center for Global Management of the College of Business and Public Administration, the Center for International Studies and Programs, the Modern China Lecture Series of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, and the Chinese Student Association.

For more information, contact Margaret “Peg” Hill, program chair for the World Affairs Council of Inland Southern California, at (909) 537-5648.