The following is an excerpt from Dr. Kyung-wha Kang's op-ed in the South China Morning Post. Dr. Kang is the president and CEO of Asia Society.

As the world anticipates the U.S. presidential election, Asian countries have mixed feelings. Vice-President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump have very different priorities and styles, meaning Asian capitals have to prepare for a multitude of scenarios.

Still, a larger question remains: can America continue to play a leadership role in Asia when U.S. policy is dominated by strategic competition with China, the region’s largest economy and military power? This lens, which has bipartisan support in Washington, must be shaped to better match Asia’s strategic value to the U.S. as the engine of 21st century economic and social dynamism.

Having served as South Korea’s foreign minister during the 2020 US election, I am keenly aware that wide U.S. policy swings create uncertainty about the reliability of U.S. leadership. But these moments also present an opportunity to recalibrate how the U.S. can work with Asian governments. The Asia Society Policy Institute has started this conversation by exploring what’s at stake for Asia in the coming election.

Read the full op-ed in the South China Morning Post and find out more about the Asia Society Policy Institute’s recent volume of essays, “Red or Blue: What’s at Stake for Asia in the 2024 U.S. Election.”