U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs Chairman Gregory Meeks on America’s China Policy

Join the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) for remarks and a discussion on America’s Indo-Pacific and China policies with Representative Gregory Meeks, Chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs. This conversation comes as the U.S. Congress is considering a series of comprehensive legislation aimed at bolstering the United States’ engagement and leadership globally in the face of China’s rising political and economic power. Chairman Meeks will be joined in conversation with ASPI Vice President Wendy Cutler.

Opening Remarks

The Hon. Kevin Rudd AC is President and CEO of the Asia Society, and inaugural President of the Asia Society Policy Institute. He served as 26th Prime Minister of Australia (2007 to 2010, 2013) and as Foreign Minister (2010 to 2012). He is Chair of the Board of the International Peace Institute in New York, and Chair of Sanitation and Water for All – a global partnership of government and non-governmental organizations dedicated to the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 6. He is a Distinguished Fellow at Chatham House and the Paulson Institute, and a Distinguished Statesman with the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He is also a member of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization’s Group of Eminent Persons.

Speakers

Gregory W. Meeks represents New York’s 5th district in the United States Congress, serves as Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and is a senior member of the House Financial Services Committee. Currently serving his 12th term in Congress, he is a multilateralist with decades of experience in foreign policy. He was a member of the Boston Group, committed to cultivating dialogue between the United States and Venezuela, and has traveled extensively across the Americas throughout his tenure on the Foreign Affairs Committee. He has been steadfast in his support for inclusive development, peace and prosperity in Colombia and a staunch advocate for the rights of African descendant and indigenous peoples in the Americas. His district includes Southeast Queens and parts of Nassau County.

Wendy Cutler is Vice President of Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) and Managing Director of its Washington, D.C. office.  In these roles, she focuses on building ASPI’s presence in Washington — strengthening its outreach as a think/do tank — and on leading initiatives that address challenges related to trade and investment, as well as women’s empowerment in Asia. She joined ASPI following nearly three decades as a diplomat and negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. Most recently, she served as Acting Deputy U.S. Trade Representative, working on a range of U.S. trade negotiations and initiatives in the Asia-Pacific region. In that capacity she was responsible for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, including the bilateral negotiations with Japan. She also was the chief negotiator to the U.S.-Korea (KORUS) Free Trade Agreement. 

Closing Remarks

Daniel Russel is Vice President for International Security and Diplomacy at the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI). Previously he served as a Diplomat-in-Residence and Senior Fellow with ASPI for a one year term. A career member of the Senior Foreign Service at the U.S. Department of State, he most recently served as the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. He served at the White House as Special Assistant to the President and National Security Council Senior Director for Asian Affairs, where he helped formulate President Obama’s strategic rebalance to the Asia Pacific region, including efforts to strengthen alliances, deepen U.S. engagement with multilateral organizations, and expand cooperation with emerging powers in the region. Among many roles at the Department of State, he served as Director of the Office of Japanese Affairs and U.S. Consul General in Osaka-Kobe.