Since the early history of the United States, America has been engaged in Asia and home to Asian Americans and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. The arc of the United States’ history is filled with legacies of both rising opportunity for and deepening discrimination toward AAPI communities that often intersected with shifting tides in U.S. foreign policy toward Asia. As the United States emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic—and the spike in AAPI hate crimes that came with it—and adopts a more assertive foreign policy towards China, how can the U.S. foreign policy community further counter AAPI hate and discrimination?

CSIS and the National Association for Black Engagement with Asia (NABEA) hosted a conference on U.S. leadership in Asia. The first panel on diplomatic engagement was moderated by Dr. Michael Green, and will feature former Ambassador Charles Ray, former Ambassador Aurelia Brazeal, and former Ambassador Harry Thomas. The second panel on economic statecraft was moderated by Mr. Matt Goodman, and will feature Mr. Marc Mealy, from the US-ASEAN Business Council, and Ms. Terri Batch, from the U.S. Department of Commerce.