James Chao

Senior Chairman, WESTLAKE CORP

Search every verified James Chao interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. James Chao, Senior Chairman at Westlake, appeared alongside his daughter Elaine Chao in interviews conducted on January 19, 2017, around her nomination as United States Secretary of Transportation. In these appearances, he discussed his family's philanthropic efforts, noting that after his wife's death in 2007, he made their charitable giving public to memorialize her life. He described the goal of these contributions as providing a bridge of understanding between people from different backgrounds, and he emphasized the role of education in building a good future, attributing this belief to his parents and grandparents. During the interviews, Chao also commented on U.S.-China relations and global leadership. He stated that America cannot forsake its leadership role in the world, describing the nation as economically strong and politically respected, while adding that the exercise of that leadership requires discretion and wisdom. He also expressed openness to learning from other countries' technologies and methods, while noting that Silicon Valley leads in creativity and innovation.