Laux, David N.: Files, 1982-1986

NSC Office of Political Affairs (East Asian and Pacific Affairs); Asian Affairs Directorate

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Scope and Content Note

The National Security Council (NSC) Office of Political Affairs included offices with the responsibility for various geographic regions. Under the old Office of Political Affairs, David Laux worked in the East Asian and Pacific Affairs Office. These regional responsibilities were later revised and elevated to directorates. Laux was incorporated within the Asian Affairs Directorate. His collection consists of his two offices combined.

The David Laux collection consists of seven series: SERIES I: Regional File; SERIES II: Cable File; SERIES III: Chronological File; SERIES IV: Childress File; SERIES V: Notebooks; SERIES VI: Administrative File; and SERIES VII: Reference File: Subseries A: Scholarly Papers/Reports/Essays; Subseries B: Articles/Publications and Subseries C: Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) Publications.

Series List

SERIES I: REGIONAL FILE

SERIES II: CABLE FILE

SERIES III: CHRONOLOGICAL FILE

SERIES IV: CHILDRESS FILE

SERIES V: NOTEBOOKS

SERIES VI: ADMINISTRATIVE FILE

SERIES VII: REFERENCE FILE

SUBSERIES A: Scholarly Papers/Reports/Essays

SUBSERIES B: Articles/Publications

SUBSERIES C: Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) Publications

Biography

Biography

David N. Laux is a former public official and investment banker, primarily as an advisor and promotor of commerce and financial relations with China.

Laux was born in 1928. Mr. Laux obtained his Bachelor's degree from Amherst College, has an M.B.A. from American University, did graduate work in government and Chinese studies at the University of California (Berkeley) and Georgetown University, and he is a graduate of the advanced management program at Harvard Business School.

Prior to his government service, Laux held positions with investment banking firms and publishing.

Laux served in the U.S. government for over 25 years, working for the Departments of State, Defense, Treasury, and Commerce. For most of these assignments he specialized in Chinese, East Asian or Southeast Asian affairs. In the Departments of State and Defense he specialized in Chinese affairs. He spent four years overseas in Japan, and three years each in Cambodia and France where he served as Chinese Affairs Officer for the U.S. embassies.

In 1981-1982 he established the U.S. Foreign Commercial Service in China and served as commercial counselor for the U.S. Embassy in Beijing. Prior to that he was director of the People's Republic of China affairs division at the Department of Commerce, and previously he served as a special assistant to the Secretary of Commerce.

Laux joined the National Security Council staff in 1982 from the Department of Commerce, where he was director of the Office of China and Hong Kong affairs. His responsibilities at the NSC included Chinese affairs, as well as Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific Island Nations, and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (Micronesia).

In 1986 Laux left the NSC and retired from government service to become the chairman of the board and managing director of the American Institute in Taiwan. The American Institute in Taiwan is a wholly owned subsidiary of the federal government and acts as the de facto American embassy in Taiwan.

In 1990 Laux became the President of the U.S.-Taiwan Business Council. The Council is a membership-based non-profit organization founded in 1976 to foster trade and business relations between the United States and Taiwan. Council members consist of private companies with business interests in Taiwan, and range in size from one-person consulting firms to large multinational corporations. His presidency coincided with the Council moving to Washington, DC and Caspar Weinberger named as Chairman of the Board.

From 1992 until 2011 Laux was the chairman and a trustee of the Taiwan Greater China Fund. The Taiwan Greater China Fund is a closed-end fund that invests in companies traded on the Taiwan Stock Exchange which derive (or are expected to derive) a substantial portion of their revenues from exports to or operations in mainland China.

Currently Laux is a member of the Board of Directors and former chairman of the Greater China Corp, providing financial investment advice on Chinese business and financial opportunities.

Mr. Laux speaks Chinese, Japanese and French. He has served in the U.S. Army and the U.S. Marine Corps

Record Type

Textual

Last Modified Date

2025-04-23

WHORM Alpha File

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Laux, David N.: Files, 1982-1986

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