How the U.S. Can Show It's Once Again An Economic Player in Asia
The Hill
The following is an excerpt of ASPI Vice President Wendy Cutler’s op-ed originally published in The Hill.
Closing the book on a busy fortnight of international meetings in Glasgow, Rome and Brunei is the Economic Leaders meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, this year hosted virtually by New Zealand on Nov. 12. Beyond supporting important near-term work on pandemic response, climate change and inclusive growth, President Joe Biden is expected to use the occasion to invite his colleagues to the United States in 2023, when he will host a pivotal round of activity for the Asia-Pacific economic policy grouping.
Biden has his work cut out for him. Most of the United States’ friends across the Pacific have been disappointed with a lack of U.S. leadership on the regional economic front in recent years, especially after the Trump administration’s retreat from the Trans-Pacific Partnership. But with early and inclusive planning, accompanied by a focused set of realistic and impactful objectives, the chairing of APEC in 2023 can be an enormous opportunity for the United States to help shape the economic policies of the Asia-Pacific region in a positive direction for years to come.