About the Speakers

Dr. Leif-Eric Easley is an Associate Professor of International Studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul. His research includes U.S.-South Korea-Japan trilateral coordination on engaging China and North Korea, and the geopolitical implications of domestic transitions (especially in Korea and Myanmar). Leif was a Northeast Asian History Fellow at Stanford University and a visiting scholar at the Japan Institute for International Affairs (JIIA) in Tokyo. He completed his B.A. in political science with a minor in mathematics at UCLA and received his M.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard University's Department of Government. He has been involved in U.S.-Asia Track II diplomacy with the Asan Institute for Policy Studies and is an alumnus of leadership programs with the Pacific Forum, the Korea Foundation, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

Dr. Seong – Hyon Lee is a senior fellow at the George H. W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations and a visiting scholar at Harvard University’s Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies. He is the former director of the Center for Chinese Studies at the Sejong Institute policy think tank in South Korea. He is a graduate from Grinnell College, Harvard University, and Tsinghua University (Ph.D. International Communication). He was 2013-14 Pantech Fellow at Stanford University (APARC), Salzburg Global Fellow, and James A. Kelly Korean Studies Fellow (non-resident) of Pacific Forum CSIS, and ICAS Fellow. His research areas include International Relations of East Asia, with a focus on China, North Korea, South Korea, and U.S. Relations with Asia. He is the author of the book, The U.S.-China competition: Who will rule the world? In 2020, he gave the JTBC television's Distinguished Lecture (JTBC 차이나는클라스) on the U.S.-China relations.

About the Moderator  

David J. Firestein is the president and CEO of the George H. W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations. Previously, Firestein was the founding executive director of The University of Texas at Austin’s China Public Policy Center and a clinical professor at UT’s Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. Before moving to UT, he served as senior vice president and Perot Fellowat the East West Institute, where he led the Institute’s Track 2 diplomacy work in the areas of U.S.-China relations, East Asian security and U.S.-Russia relations. From 1992–2010, Firestein was a decorated career U.S. diplomat, specializing primarily in U.S.-China relations. Firestein serves on over a dozen U.S. nonprofit boards of directors and advisors. Among other roles, he is a member of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition's Texas Advisory Committee, and a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council of the LBJ School of Public Affairs. A native and current resident of Austin, Texas, he holds degrees from Georgetown University and The University of Texas at Austin.

Asia Society Texas Business & Policy Programs, Endowed by

Huffington Foundation

Business and Policy programs at Asia Society Texas are presented by Bank of America, Muffet Blake, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, and United Airlines. Major support comes from Nancy C. Allen, Chinhui Juhn and Eddie Allen, Nancy Pollok Guinee, and Mary Lawrence Porter, as well as The Brown Foundation, Inc. and Houston Endowment. Additional funding is provided by the Friends of Asia Society Texas Center, a dedicated group of individuals and organizations committed to bringing the best in public programming.

Business & Policy Presenting Sponsors

Presenting Partners

About Asia Society Texas

Asia Society Texas believes in the strength and beauty of diverse perspectives and people. As an educational institution, we advance cultural exchange by celebrating the vibrant diversity of Asia, inspiring empathy, and fostering a better understanding of our interconnected world. Spanning the fields of arts, business, culture, education, and policy, our programming is rooted in the educational and cultural development of our community — trusting in the power of art, dialogue, and ideas to combat bias and build a more inclusive society.