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OPINION: U.S.-China relationship is a tremendous challenge
The rise of China is the most formidable challenge that American foreign policy faces. With its population of nearly 1.5 billion people and its rapid growth, China has transformed itself into an economic and political powerhouse. We face other challenges, of course. Among them, terrorism, a turbulent Middle East, a nuclear-armed and unpredictable North Korea, climate change, […]
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The rise of China is the most formidable challenge that American foreign policy faces. With its population of nearly 1.5 billion people and its rapid growth, China has transformed itself into an economic and political powerhouse.
We face other challenges, of course. Among them, terrorism, a turbulent Middle East, a nuclear-armed and unpredictable North Korea, climate change, and in relationships with many friends and adversaries around the globe.
But China has emerged as a unique, strong, and sometimes hostile competitor. In a relatively short time, it has built world-class cities, become a global leader in technology, and lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty. Its autocratic, centralized model for governing and the economy sharply contrasts to the open, democratic approach advocated by the United States and our allies.
The U.S. has been the world’s leading nation largely because of the strength of our economy. We still have the largest GDP, at over $20 trillion. China is second, far ahead of Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom. Some observers think China’s economy will surpass America’s by the middle of this century.
In some parts of the world, China is already thought to have eclipsed the U.S. According to Pew Research Center surveys from 2019, Europeans and Australians were more likely to view China than the U.S. as the world’s leading economic power. In South Korea, Japan, and India, majorities saw the U.S. as more powerful.
But China’s poor record on standards of behavior handicaps its global leadership. Its aggressive actions in the South China Sea worry its neighbors. It has stifled dissent, doubled down on its control of Hong Kong, and cracked down on the media. Its treatment of the Uighur minority led U.S. officials to accuse it of genocide.
China’s lack of transparency and accountability and its propensity for currency manipulation make it problematic for businesses. According to the Global Business Council, the U.S. remains the most attractive country for foreign direct investment while China is No. 12.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping calls the shots, having amassed more personal power than any head of state in the country since Deng Xiaoping in the 1980s and, of course, Mao Zedong before that. Recently, the ruling Communist Party gave Xi full credit for China’s rise and set the stage for him to win a third five-year term as the country’s leader.
How should the U.S. respond to China? First, we can’t neglect the home front. As Council on Foreign Relations President Richard Haass put it in the title of his book “Foreign Policy Begins at Home.” When we struggle to deal with our own problems, we weaken our position for world leadership. Moreover, we need to invest in the knowledge economy, including education from pre-K to graduate studies; fund technology and innovation; and strengthen the social safety net. The recently approved infrastructure bill, which provides funding to repair and improve roads, bridges, and public transit and to expand broadband internet, is an important, but not sufficient, step.
Also essential is maintaining a firm and straightforward relationship with China, one that puts American interests first. President Joe Biden spoke with Xi in September and met virtually with him [in November]. These high-level conversations are essential to managing the competition between the U.S. and China and preventing it from veering into conflict.
This is the most consequential relationship in the world right now, and we’ve got to get it right. The U.S. and China have many common interests — addressing climate change, trade, preventing terrorism, and reducing conflict. There are many issues on which we disagree, sometimes strongly. To avoid conflict and enhance the quality of life of our citizens, we need to work with China whenever we can and oppose it whenever we must.
Lee Hamilton, 90, is a senior advisor for the Indiana University (IU) Center on Representative Government, distinguished scholar at IU Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, and professor of practice at the IU O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Hamilton, a Democrat, was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 years (1965-1999), representing a district in south central Indiana.

STEVEN J. SINOPOLI, CPA has joined Grossman St. Amour CPAs as senior manager in the firm’s Tax Services Group. He practices in the areas of multi‐state tax preparation for individuals, partnerships, S‐Corporations, and fiduciary entities. His clients include medical and dental practices. Sinopoli prepares and reviews financial statements and quarterly payroll-tax returns. He also engages
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STEVEN J. SINOPOLI, CPA has joined Grossman St. Amour CPAs as senior manager in the firm’s Tax Services Group. He practices in the areas of multi‐state tax preparation for individuals, partnerships, S‐Corporations, and fiduciary entities. His clients include medical and dental practices. Sinopoli prepares and reviews financial statements and quarterly payroll-tax returns. He also engages in tax planning for individuals and businesses and analyzes clients’ accounting information to advise clients on their best business decisions. Sinopoli is a member of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants. He is a graduate of Syracuse University with a bachelor’s degree in accounting.
KATIE A. KAIM, CPA has joined Grossman St. Amour as supervisor in the Tax Services Group. Her areas of practice include audit and attest engagements, financial-statement preparation, bookkeeping, and tax-return preparation for individuals, corporations, and partnerships. Her industry areas include manufacturing and retail distribution, physicians and medical-practice groups, not‐for-profits, construction and real estate, individuals, and employee-benefit plans. Kaim is a graduate of Binghamton University’s School of Management with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. She is a member of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants and the Southern Tier Chapter of NextGen CPAs.
MATTHEW J. POTERALSKI has joined the firm as staff accountant in the Tax Services Group. He previously completed the Grossman St. Amour Student Internship Program in the Tax Services Group. Poteralski practices in the areas of income-tax return preparation, corporate tax-return preparation, payroll and sales-tax return preparation, financial-statement preparation, and bookkeeping for businesses and individuals. He previously completed the Grossman St. Amour Student Internship Program in the Tax Services Group. Poteralski is a graduate of SUNY Oswego with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a member of Beta Alpha Psi, and the Accounting Society.
BRYAN T. CZARNECKI has joined the firm as staff accountant in the Audit Services Group. He previously completed the Grossman St. Amour Student Internship Program in the Audit Services Group. Czarnecki practices in the areas of audit and attest engagements and financial-statement preparation. He works with not‐for‐profit organizations. Czarnecki is a graduate of SUNY Oswego with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and MBA. He completed the Grossman St. Amour CPAs Student Internship Program.
Fust Charles Chambers LLP has promoted the following individuals, who continue to service the firm’s manufacturing, distribution, health care, not-for-profit, and other closely held business clients. BRANDON T. MESSECAR, CPA, has been promoted to audit manager. He joined the firm in 2016. Messecar received his bachelor’s degree and MBA in accounting from SUNY Oswego. CHRISTOPHER
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Fust Charles Chambers LLP has promoted the following individuals, who continue to service the firm’s manufacturing, distribution, health care, not-for-profit, and other closely held business clients. BRANDON T. MESSECAR, CPA, has been promoted to audit manager. He joined the firm in 2016. Messecar received his bachelor’s degree and MBA in accounting from SUNY Oswego. CHRISTOPHER E. TIMMONS, CPA, has also been elevated to audit manager. Timmons joined the firm in 2016. He received his bachelor’s degree and MBA in accounting from SUNY Oswego. JACQUELINE C. ROMEO, CPA, has been promoted to senior audit associate. Romeo joined the firm in 2019. She earned her bachelor’s degree and MBA in accounting from SUNY Oswego.

Pinckney Hugo Group, a full-service marketing- communications firm, has hired BETHANY MERLIN, of Syracuse, as an assistant account manager. Prior to joining Pinckney Hugo Group, Merlin was a marketing coordinator at Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty in Boston. She has a bachelor’s degree in marketing communication from Emerson College.
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Pinckney Hugo Group, a full-service marketing- communications firm, has hired BETHANY MERLIN, of Syracuse, as an assistant account manager. Prior to joining Pinckney Hugo Group, Merlin was a marketing coordinator at Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty in Boston. She has a bachelor’s degree in marketing communication from Emerson College.
MISTY MASON was promoted to banking solutions representative at Solvay Bank’s State Tower branch in downtown Syracuse. She started her career with Solvay Bank in 2019 at the DeWitt branch. Most recently, she served as head teller.
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MISTY MASON was promoted to banking solutions representative at Solvay Bank’s State Tower branch in downtown Syracuse. She started her career with Solvay Bank in 2019 at the DeWitt branch. Most recently, she served as head teller.

LORRAINE A. LADD-FALANGA has joined The Center for Wound Healing at Oswego Health. Ladd-Falanga will see patients at the center, which offers treatments including hyperbaric oxygen therapy, negative-pressure therapies, bioengineered tissues, and biosynthetic to reintroduce the body’s innate ability to heal. Ladd-Falanga brings more than 20 years of experience and is no stranger to Oswego
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LORRAINE A. LADD-FALANGA has joined The Center for Wound Healing at Oswego Health. Ladd-Falanga will see patients at the center, which offers treatments including hyperbaric oxygen therapy, negative-pressure therapies, bioengineered tissues, and biosynthetic to reintroduce the body’s innate ability to heal. Ladd-Falanga brings more than 20 years of experience and is no stranger to Oswego Health. Throughout her career, she held various positions at Oswego Hospital including nurse practitioner in the Emergency Department and serving as a hospitalist. She’s worked throughout Central New York at the major health-care systems and most recently was a nurse practitioner at Delphi Healthcare, where she provided medical care to patients requiring admissions. Ladd-Falanga is a New York State-licensed registered nurse, registered vascular technologist and cardiac sonographer. She earned her master’s and bachelor’s degrees in nursing from SUNY Upstate Medical University.
Oswego Health’s brand-new primary care practice, Lakeview Primary Care, recently welcomed experienced family nurse practitioner (FNP), NATHANIEL FARDEN. Licensed in 2010 as a registered nurse (RN), Farden, earned his bachelor’s degree in nursing in 2012 from Western University. He joined Oswego Health as an RN in the Emergency Department in 2015, then later transitioned as a utilization RN in case management in 2016 while continuing his schooling. In 2019, Farden received licensure as an FNP and worked per diem with the Oswego Health Hospitalist team as an NP.

MELISSA SCHMIDT has joined Upstate Urology at Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS) as a certified family nurse practitioner, where she will provide care to patients of all ages. Schmidt has more than 10 years of nursing experience at MVHS in inpatient post-operative care and vascular surgery. Schmidt earned her master’s family nurse practitioner degree from
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MELISSA SCHMIDT has joined Upstate Urology at Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS) as a certified family nurse practitioner, where she will provide care to patients of all ages. Schmidt has more than 10 years of nursing experience at MVHS in inpatient post-operative care and vascular surgery. Schmidt earned her master’s family nurse practitioner degree from Utica College. She earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Jacksonville University in Florida.
SVETLANA PETROVETS, MD, has joined the MVHS Medical Group medical office in Washington Mills, where she provides primary-care services to patients of all ages. Petrovets earned her medical degree from the Grodno State Medical University in Grodno, Belarus. She performed her residency at the St. Elizabeth Family Medicine Residency Program in Utica. She also earned both her bachelor’s degree in nursing and her master’s nurse practitioner degree in from SUNY Polytechnic Institute in Marcy. Dr. Petrovets has eight years of experience as a pediatrician in her home country of Belarus. She began her career at MVHS as a registered nurse, where she worked for five years. After completing a year as a family nurse practitioner, she started her residency at the Sister Rose Vincent Family Medicine Residency Program. Dr. Petrovets is board certified by the American Board of Family Medicine. She is a member of the American Medical Association and American Academy of Family Physicians.

REBECCA SCOTT recently joined Raymour & Flanigan as its new senior brand manager. Her focus will be on product marketing, brand purpose/cause marketing, brand communications and PR, and overseeing influencer marketing. Scott has years of experience working in integrated marketing. She previously worked for more than seven years at integrated-marketing communications firm, Pinckney Hugo Group
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REBECCA SCOTT recently joined Raymour & Flanigan as its new senior brand manager. Her focus will be on product marketing, brand purpose/cause marketing, brand communications and PR, and overseeing influencer marketing. Scott has years of experience working in integrated marketing. She previously worked for more than seven years at integrated-marketing communications firm, Pinckney Hugo Group in Syracuse. Scott is a Syracuse native and graduate of Syracuse University.

AmeriCU opens education and administrative center in Clay
CLAY, N.Y. — AmeriCU has opened an administrative and education center at 7466 Oswego Road in Clay. The new, multi-use facility will provide credit-union employees

Pinnacle Employee Services expands with in-house recruiting division
DeWITT, N.Y. — Pinnacle Employee Services says it has expanded its services with the addition of an in-house recruiting division called Pinnacle Talent Solutions. Pinnacle Employee Services, a professional employer organization, is located at 5845 Widewaters Parkway in DeWitt. The firm hired Charlotte Dieroff as director of recruiting to offer its clients and potential clients
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DeWITT, N.Y. — Pinnacle Employee Services says it has expanded its services with the addition of an in-house recruiting division called Pinnacle Talent Solutions.
Pinnacle Employee Services, a professional employer organization, is located at 5845 Widewaters Parkway in DeWitt.
The firm hired Charlotte Dieroff as director of recruiting to offer its clients and potential clients a way to expand their employee count, “helping them land solid, professionally vetted talent that fits their needs,” Pinnacle said.
As of now, Dieroff is the sole member of the recruiting division, says Elizabeth Higman, Pinnacle’s marketing and branding manager.
“With her experience and skills for finding the right candidates, she has already been able to fill multiple positions both in-house at Pinnacle and for her clients within the last few months of its inception,” Higman said in an email response to a CNYBJ inquiry.
When asked if Pinnacle has plans for additional hiring for the new division, Higman said that the company will eventually hire additional employees for the new division to help review résumés and keep its database organized.
“Pinnacle Employee Services has grown exponentially over the past few years. Being able to offer additional services further solidifies our dedication to helping our clients,” Mark Pietrowski, CEO of Pinnacle Employee Services, said of the firm’s addition of a recruiting division.
Pinnacle Employee Services has 15 employees. Pinnacle Employee Services is part of the Pinnacle Family of Companies, whose subsidiaries include investments, 401(k), 403(b), insurance, and portfolio management, with more than 100 employees total, according to Higman.
About Dieroff
Dieroff started her career in the food industry, having studied food science at Cornell University. She joined International Food Network (now Eurofins) that developed products for the consumer-goods market, with clients that include SlimFast, Häagen-Dazs, and McNeil.
Dieroff transitioned from hands-on product development to client management and business development before deciding to move to the recruiting industry.
With Pinnacle Talent Solutions, she’s focusing on both internal and external placements across industries that include health care, finance, manufacturing, architecture, and engineering.
“I really enjoy working with our local clients, helping them expand their teams, and capitalizing on the synergies we have here at the Pinnacle Family of Companies,” Dieroff said. “By getting to know our clients first-hand, we are better able to find talent that aligns with their needs.”
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