U S Asia Institute

TO EDUCATE CONGRESSIONAL MEMBERS AND STAFF UNDER THE MUTUAL EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL EXCHANGE ACT THROUGH PUBLICATIONS AND TRIPS TO CHINA, SINGAPORE, AND JAPAN.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM - AMERICAN RULE OF LAW. AMERICAN LAW STUDENTS, THOUGH ONCE AGAIN UNABLE TO TRAVEL TO CHINA AND HONG KONG FOR A TWO-WEEK PERIOD TO LEARN FIRSTHAND ABOUT CHINA'S LEGAL SYSTEM, WERE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN A VIRTUAL PROGRAM. 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 KONG'S LEGAL SYSTEMS, ALLOWING FOR COMPARISONS TO THE US RULE OF LAW. THIS WAS THE SIXTH 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 TONG-TO THE US VIRTUALLY ONCE AGAIN. 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. FOR THE SECOND TIME, THE US-ASIA INSTITUTE HOSTED A MOOT COURT DEBATE WHERE THE STUDENTS BROKE INTO TEAMS TO DEBATE THE QUESTION: "DOES AMERICAN RULE OF LAW ENSURE GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY". A LIVELY DISCUSSION PURUSED WHEREIN BOTH CHINESE STUDENT TEAMS SHOWED VAST INSIGHT INTO THE AMERICAN SYSTEM. THIS WAS THE 14TH YEAR THE PROGRAM WAS HELD.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. EIGHT PARTICIPANTS WERE SELECTED WITH SOME PARTICIPATING VIRTUALLY AND OTHERS IN-PERSON. THE SISTER PROGRAM TO IMPACT! - THE THAI AMERICAN NATIONAL INTERNSHIP PROGRAM (TANIP) RETURNED IN 2021 WITH 8 STUDENTS, SOME IN-PERSON AND OTHERS VIRTUAL.US-ASIA INSTITUTE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM. 20 OUTSTANDING YOUNG PEOPLE FROM AROUND THE GLOBE PARTICIPATED IN THE US-ASIA INSTITUTE'S INTERNSHIP PROGRAM IN 2021. 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.

NETWORKING RECEPTIONS. THE US-ASIA INSTITUTE KICKED OFF 2021 WITH ITS ANNUAL LUNAR NEW YEAR RECEPTION. BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC, IT WAS HOSTED VIRTUALLY. MORE THAN 175 VIRTUAL ATTENDEES PARTICIPATED FROM THE GOVERNMENT, BUSINESS, ACADEMIC AND DIPLOMATIC COMMUNITIES. IN JULY AND OCTOBER 2021, THE US-ASIA INSTITUTE HOSTED COURTYARD RECEPTIONS UTILIZING THE OUTDOOR SPACE SURROURNDING USAI HEADQUARTERS. MORE THAN 250 PEOPLE STOPPED BY. THESE RECEPTIONS ARE INTEGRAL TO USAI'S MISSION OF PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE INTERACTION TO BUILD UNDERSTANDING AND KEEP THE LINES OF COMMUNICATION OPEN. VIRTUAL PROGRAMMING, THOUGH IT HAS ITS VALUE, WILL NEVER REPLACE IN-PERSON INTERACTION.

BRIEFINGS AND WEBINARS -ALL OF THE US-ASIA INSTITUTE'S PROGRAMMING REMAINED ON VIRTUAL PLATFORMS - PRIMARILY ZOOM AND ZOOM WEBINAR. USAI CONTINUED TO SUCCESSFULLY HOST A NUMBER OF PROGRAMS THIS WAY - EXPANDING OUR REACH FOR NOT ONLY AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION BUT THE ABILITY TO ATTRACT SPEAKERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD AS WELL. IN 2021, USAI HOSTED VIRTUALLY:"CHINA 101 SEMINARS FOR CONGRESSIONAL STAFF "ASEAN 101 SEMINARS FOR CONGRESSIONAL STAFF"JAPAN 101 SEMINARS FOR CONGRESSIONAL STAFF"SOUTHEAST ASIA IN FOCUS WEBINARS"NORTHEAST ASIA IN FOCUS WEBINARS"A NUMBER OF WEBINARS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC ON OTHER TOPICS OF INTEREST"OTHER WEBINARSASIA NEWS BRIEF. EVERY MONDAY AND THURSDAY, THE US-ASIA INSTITUTE DISSEMINATES A NEWS BRIEFING EMAIL TO MORE THAN 8,000 SUBSCRIBERS PROVIDING THEM WITH INSIGHT INTO THE STORIES OF THE DAY FROM AN ASIAN NEWS PERSPECTIVE.ASIA UNSCRIPTED. ASIA-FOCUS PODCASTS ARE RELEASED BIWEEKLY ADDRESSING INTERESTING AND INSIGHTFUL TOPICS OF THE DAY.INDIA 101 CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFING SERIES. INDIA 101 WAS ADDED TO THE ROSTER OF 101 EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS FOR CONGRESSIONAL STAFF IN THE SUMMER OF 2021. FOUR SESSIONS WERE HELD TO PROVIDE PERSPECTIVE AND INSIGHT INTO INDIA AND ITS RELATIONSHIP VIS--VIS THE UNITED STATES. THE SERIES WAS WELL RECEIVED BY CONGRESSIONAL STAFF AND WILL CONTINUE IN 2022.

DELEGATIONS -OUTGOING AND IN-BOUND DELEGATIONS TO THE COUNTRIES OF ASIA CONTINUED TO BE HALTED BY THE TRAVEL BAN NECESSITATED BY THE PANDEMIC. THE US-ASIA INSTITUTE, BELIEVING IN THE IMPORTANCE OF PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE ENGAGEMENT CONTINUED TWO VIRTUAL DIALOGUE PROGRAMS TO KEEP THE LINES OF COMMUNICATION OPEN BETWEEN US AND CHINESE POLICY MAKERS AND INFLUENCERS."CANDID CONVERSATIONS - FOR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS WITH CHINESE OFFICIALS"VIRTUAL STAFF DELEGATIONS. BECAUSE OF THE TRAVEL BAN, IN-PERSON DELEGATIONS WERE NOT POSSIBLE BETWEEN THE U.S. AND CHINA, AND OTHER COUNTRIES. THE US-ASIA INSTITUTE TOOK TEN CONGRESSIONAL STAFF DELEGATIONS TO CHINA DURING 2021 AND A CHIEF OF STAFF DELEGATION TO SINGAPORE. EACH GROUP MET WITH THE AMERICAN EMBASSY IN COUNTRY, PARTICIPATED IN A ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION WITHIN COUNTRY SCHOLARS, INTERACTED WITH OFFICIALS FROM RELEVANT MINISTRIES AND ENGAGED WITH AMERICAN BUSINESSES IN CHINA AND IN COUNTRY.UNFORTUNATELY NO IN-BOUND DELEGATIONS WERE POSSIBLE THOUGH USAI IS WORKING ON MAKING THEM TWO-WAY EXCHANGES IN 2022.REGIONAL DIALOGUES -REGIONAL DIALOGUES ON US-CHINA RELATIONS. WITH CORPORATE STAKEHOLDER, LAS VEGAS SANDS, USAI LAUNCHED REGIONAL DIALOGUES TO DISCUSS VARIOUS ASPECTS OF US-CHINA RELATIONS.IN MAY 2021, A DIALOGUE ON US-CHINA AGRICULTURAL TRADE WAS HELD IN LINCOLN, NEBRASKA BOTH IN-PERSON AND VIRTUALLY. MORE THAN 250 PEOPLE FROM ACROSS THE UNITED STATES AND CHINA PARTICIPATED VIRTUALLY AND 40 PEOPLE IN-PERSON TO DISCUSS OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES N THE US-CHINA AGRICULTURAL TRADE RELATIONSHIP.IN OCTOBER 2021, A SECOND DIALOGUE WAS HELD IN LAS VEGAS, NEVADA FOCUSED ON US-CHINA HOSPITALITY, TOURISM AND CULTURAL EXCHANGE. IT AGAIN HAD AN IN-PERSON AND A VIRTUAL COMPONENT WITH 70 PEOPLE IN-PERSON AND 175 VIRTUAL.ASEAN DAY 2021. IN COOPERATION WITH THE EMBASSY OF BRUNEI DARUSSALAM, USAI PULLED TOGETHER A VIRTUAL PROGRAM TO DISCUSS THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS. EACH OF THE 10 MEMBER COUNTRIES' WASHINGTON DC EMBASSIES PARTICIPATED ALONG WITH A VIRTUAL AUDIENCE OF 160 PEOPLE FROM AROUND THE GLOBE. BRUNEI DARUSSALAM WAS THE 2021 CHAIR OF ASEAN.HOLIDAY LUNCHEON. AN IN-PERSON HOLIDAY LUNCHEON WAS HOSTED BY USAI IN DECEMBER 2021 TO SHOW APPRECIATION FOR USAI BOARD MEMBERS, ADVISORY BOARD COUNSELORS, CONGRESSIONAL CIRCLE, AND OTHER FRIENDS AND VOLUNTEERS WHO SUPPORT USAI. 45 PEOPLE WERE ABLE TO ATTEND IN PERSON.