The U.S.-Asia relationship has long been an important one politically, economically and strategically. Shifting global priorities, leadership changes, economic concerns and opportunities, as well as challenges to regional stability and changing power interactions make the relationship constantly transitory. In this period of regional transformation, it is more important than ever that ongoing, candid dialogue and cooperation among leading policymakers and leaders throughout the region be encouraged.

With this in mind, the US-Asia Institute has organized eight National Leadership Conferences in cooperation with the U.S. Department of State. These international policy forums have facilitated interaction among leading public and private sector leaders from the United States, China, Japan, Korea, and ASEAN (Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam), as well as others from around the globe.

These international policy forums attract top policy experts from the U.S. and Asia including foreign ministers, secretaries of state, Members of Congress, as well as foreign national legislatures, key Administration officials from the U.S. and Asia, renowned international businessmen, preeminent scholars, military and diplomatic leaders. The forums are traditionally held in Washington, D.C. at the U.S. Department of State with some sessions on Capitol Hill. However, the forum has been held as a “traveling conference” with sessions in Washington, D.C., Beijing, Manila, The Philippines and Tokyo. During these forums, a core group of 25 top leaders from the U.S. and representatives from all of the countries of East Asia travel to each city where they are joined by 200 policy makers and policy influencers to discuss key issues surrounding the relationship.