Symington W. Smith is an American public figure and China expert who has previously worked at Baker McKenzie, one of the world’s largest American multinational law firms and the Cabinet Office of the United Kingdom. Currently, he serves as the Founder and President of The Winterflower Group, a network of young global leaders. He earned a B.A. in Chinese Language and Literature at Peking University and an M.S.c. in China and Globalization at King’s College London. Symington has been deeply involved in the promotion of international peace and has previously represented American students in the People’s Republic of China, where he met then United States Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton and former Vice Premier of the People’s Republic of China, Liu Yandong at the National Museum of China for the 3rd Annual U.S.-China High-level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange. In 2020, Symington was named “Ocean Champion 2020” by The Plastic Bank for fighting against extreme poverty and stopping over 420 kg of plastic, equal to 21,000 500ml water bottles from entering the ocean every year and a Delegate to the Yenching Global Symposium 2020 on Sino-Sustainability, one of Asia’s most competitive academic symposiums. As a Global Peace Ambassador, he advocates for peace and intercultural communication, especially between the United States and China, believing that the global problems of the 21st Century should and can be solved at the negotiation table instead of the war room.