U S Asia Institute

TO FACILITATE UNDERSTANDING AND COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE U.S. AND ASIA BY EDUCATING CONGRESSIONAL MEMBERS AND STAFF; DIPLOMATS; AND OTHERS FROM BUSINESS, GOVERNMENT, AND ACADEMIA THROUGH PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE EXCHANGES, OFF-THE-RECORD BRIEFINGS, NETWORKING

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS: AMERICAN RULE OF LAW. AMERICAN LAW STUDENTS TRAVELED TO CHINA AND HONG KONG FOR A TWO-WEEK PERIOD IN MAY 2023 TO LEARN FIRSTHAND ABOUT CHINAS LEGAL SYSTEM. THIS PROGRAM FOUND THEM MEETING WITH LAW PROFESSORS AND STUDENTS, GOVERNMENT AND NON-GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS, LAWYERS AND BUSINESSMEN IN HONG KONG, SHANGHAI, BEIJING AND SHENZHEN. THE INTERACTIVE DISCUSSIONS PROVIDED THEM WITH A BASIC KNOWLEDGE OF CHINA AND HONG KONGS LEGAL SYSTEMS, ALLOWING FOR COMPARISONS TO THE US RULE OF LAW. THIS WAS THE EIGHTH YEAR OF THIS PROGRAM. CHINESE RULE OF LAW. THE CHINESE RULE OF LAW PROGRAM BROUGHT CHINESE LAW STUDENTS FROM THREE TOP CHINESE UNIVERSITIES TSINGHUA, PEKING UNIVERSITY SCHOOL FOR TRANSNATIONAL LAW AND SHANGHAI JIAO TONGTO THE US AS THE PROGRAM RETURNED TO AN IN-PERSON FORMAT. THE STUDENTS WERE ABLE TO MEET WITH MEMBERS AND STAFF OF CONGRESS, JUDGES AT ALL LEVELS, LAW STUDENTS, PRACTICING LAWYERS, THINK TANKS AND OTHERS TO GAIN INSIGHT INTO THE U.S. RULE OF LAW SYSTEM THIS WAS THE 16TH YEAR THE PROGRAM WAS HELD. YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS THE US-ASIA INSTITUTE CONTINUED THREE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS FOR FILIPINO AMERICAN, MONGOLIAN AMERICAN, AND THAI AMERICAN YOUNG LEADERS. IMPACT! USAI CONTINUED A YOUTH EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM FOR FILIPINO AMERICAN YOUNG PEOPLE TO PROVIDE THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD A STRONGER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THE US GOVERNMENT WORKS AND HOW THEY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE BY BECOMING ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN THEIR COMMUNITIES. THE PARTICIPANTS WERE PLACED IN VIRTUAL INTERNSHIPS AROUND WASHINGTON DC TO ENGAGE WITH POLICY AND THOUGHT LEADERS FIRSTHAND. 7 PARTICIPANTS WERE SELECTED WITH ALL PARTICIPATING IN PERSON THE THAI AMERICAN NATIONAL INTERNSHIP PROGRAM (TANIP) WELCOMED 5 STUDENTS, ALL IN-PERSON. THE MONGOLIAN-US NATIONAL CIVIC ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM (MUNCEP) BROUGHT 2 STUDENTS TO WASHINGTON DC TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRAM. USAI INTERNSHIP PROGRAM. 16 OUTSTANDING YOUNG PEOPLE FROM AROUND THE GLOBE PARTICIPATED IN THE US-ASIA INSTITUTES INTERNSHIP PROGRAM IN 2023. FROM SPECIAL HIGH SCHOOL MENTORING PROGRAMS TO SHORT TERM MINI-MESTER EXPERIENCES TO PART AND FULL-TIME INTERNSHIPS, THE USAI SERVED AS A UNIQUE TRAINING GROUND FOR ASPIRING YOUNG PROFESSIONALS TO LEARN FIRSTHAND HOW GOVERNMENT WORKS AND THE INTERACTION BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT, BUSINESS, ACADEMIC AND DIPLOMATIC COMMUNITIES. THE INTERNSHIP WAS BOLSTERED BY WEEKLY LUNCH AND LEARNS WHERE USAI TRUSTEES, ADVISORS, AND CONTACTS OFFERED THEIR UNIQUE INSIGHTS INTO VARIOUS ISSUES, CAREER PATHS, AND MORE. THE USAI INTERNSHIP NETWORK COUPLED WITH THE OTHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS NUMBERS MORE THAN 1,000 MEMBERS. USAI X SGN CULTURAL EXCHANGE AND COMMUNITY BUILDING: A PATH TO PROFESSIONAL SUCCESS USAI AND THE SINGAPORE GLOBAL NETWORK (SGN) HOSTED A HAPPY HOUR EVENT GEARED TOWARD YOUNG PROFESSIONALS WORKING ON SOUTHEAST ASIA AND/OR OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN DESCENT FEATURING A PANEL AT CRANES DC. AAPI: UNIQUE AND POWERFUL VOICES SHAPING THE FABRIC OF AMERICA CONGRESSWOMAN YOUNG KIM DELIVERED REMARKS BEFORE SAHRA ENGLISH, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF GLOBAL GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS AT CITI, MODERATED A DISCUSSION WITH PANELISTS ARYANI ONG, DIRECTOR OF THE ANTI-HATE PROGRAM AT THE ASIAN AMERICAN FOUNDATION; CHRISTINE CHEN, CO-FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF APIAVOTE; AND TINA WEI SMITH, FORMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE WHITE HOUSE INITIATIVE ON AAPI ON THE IMPORTANT ROLE AAPI PLAY IN SHAPING AMERICA. A NETWORKING RECEPTION FOLLOWED.

NETWORKING RECEPTIONS: THE US-ASIA INSTITUTE KICKED OFF 2023 WITH ITS ANNUAL LUNAR NEW YEAR RECEPTION. IT WAS HOSTED IN PERSON FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2020. MORE THAN 250 ATTENDEES PARTICIPATED FROM THE GOVT, BUSINESS, ACADEMIC AND DIPLOMATIC COMMUNITIES. COURTYARD RECEPTIONS. IN MAY, JULY, AND SEPTEMBER OF 2023, THE US-ASIA INSTITUTE HOSTED COURTYARD RECEPTIONS UTILIZING THE OUTDOOR SPACE SURROUNDING USAI HEADQUARTERS. MORE THAN 350 PEOPLE STOPPED BY. THESE RECEPTIONS ARE INTEGRAL TO USAIS MISSION OF PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE INTERACTION TO BUILD UNDERSTANDING AND KEEP THE LINES OF COMMUNICATION OPEN. HOLIDAY LUNCHEON. AN IN-PERSON HOLIDAY LUNCHEON WAS HOSTED BY USAI IN DECEMBER 2023 TO SHOW APPRECIATION FOR USAI BOARD MEMBERS, ADVISORY BOARD COUNSELORS, CONGRESSIONAL CIRCLE, AND OTHER FRIENDS AND VOLUNTEERS WHO SUPPORT USAI. 52 PEOPLE WERE ABLE TO ATTEND IN PERSON.

BRIEFINGS AND WEBINARS: MOST OF THE US-ASIA INSTITUTES PROGRAMMING RETURNED TO IN-PERSON EVENTS. NORTHEAST ASIA IN FOCUS AND SOUTHEAST ASIA IN FOCUS REMAINED ON THE ZOOM PLATFORM, ENABLING USAI TO EXPAND ITS REACH FOR AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION AND TO ATTRACT SPEAKERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD. IN 2023, USAI HOSTED: CHINA 101 SEMINARS FOR CONGRESSIONAL STAFF (IN PERSON) ASEAN 101 SEMINARS FOR CONGRESSIONAL STAFF (IN PERSON) INDIA 101 SEMINARS FOR CONGRESSIONAL STAFF JAPAN 2023 SEMINARS FOR CONGRESSIONAL STAFF (IN PERSON; SMALLER ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS) SOUTHEAST ASIA IN FOCUS WEBINARS (VIRTUALLY) NORTHEAST ASIA IN FOCUS WEBINARS (VIRTUALLY) APEC 2023 BRIEFINGS (IN PERSON) NORTH KOREA BRIEFINGS (VIRTUALLY AND IN PERSON)