You are cordially invited to the 2023 Friends of the East-West Center Annual Meeting featuring keynote speaker Diane Peters-Nguyen, Chief Executive Officer of the American Red Cross Pacific Islands Region and member of the Friends of the East-West Center Board of Directors. Diane will provide an overview of the Red Cross Maui response.
Photo of FEWCʻs Annual Meeting held last year in 2022.
A brief meeting of our general membership will be held prior to the program to elect new members to the Friends of the East-West Center board of directors. The following nominees are:
-NURUL AMALINA CHE ARIFFIN, Bachelor of Laws, LLB -ALMA HARTMAN, B.SC. -LEILANI (ETSUKO) HERMAN, B.A. -SUSAN K. ING, MBA -WILLIAM “BILL’ MILKS, J.D. -CHIFUMI NAGAI, Ph.D.
Program: 11:30 a.m. – Brief Business Meeting 12:00 p.m. – Lunch 12:30 p.m. – Program
featuring Jarod Baker Co-founder of Pacific Economics 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm HST Live via Zoom
Speaker’s summary: In times of competition, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is using means below military threshold to gain influence in the Pacific and globally. I will discuss the whole-of-society actors the PRC uses in the Pacific and some of the ways they are using their roles to gain PRC State priorities.
Speaker’s Bio: Jarod Baker is a co-founder of Pacific Economics. Jarod has focused on the Pacific region since 1998 specializing in market research, competitive intelligence, investment solutions, and management strategy. Previously, Jarod assisted in opening the KPMG advisory office in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. His initiatives include establishing the Economic Advantage portfolio focused on the Pacific, conducting economic risk identification and mitigation strategies, and developing strategic frameworks for organizations investing and operating in the Pacific region
Jarod has spent his career focusing on Chinese economics, security, and international business working for the Department of Defense, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and various management consulting firms. His experience brings fresh perspective on security, development, and investment strategies.
Jarod holds an MBA from the Darden School of Business (University of Virginia); a master’s in International Policy and Practice from the Elliott School of International Affairs (The George Washington University); a bachelor’s degree in International Economics and Asian Studies; and a certificate in Korean from the Defense Language Institute.
The China Seminar was founded by Dr. Daniel W.Y. Kwok 45 years ago. Under his guidance, it became a signature program of the Friends of the East-West Center (FEWC) in 2009. The program provides an informal venue for China experts, such as scholars, diplomats, and journalists, to present talks on aspects of China that interest the community and members of the Friends. Topics include politics, economics, social issues, history, culture, food, arts, and many other subjects. Though Dr. Kwok has recently retired from his involvement with the program, the FEWC and the East-West Center remain committed to continuing this important program.
China’s Economic Challenges are Multiplying: And that’s not good for anyone
Thursday, September 14, 2023 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm HST Live via Zoom
Speaker’s summary: When Xi Jinping abruptly ended his draconian Zero Covid lockdown late last year, most experts predicted the Chinese economy would come roaring back. Instead, it has stagnated, complicating existing challenges such as a struggling real estate sector and soaring youth unemployment. Now there are signs of deflation and a debt overhang reminiscent of what Japan experienced 30 years ago at the beginning of its “Lost Decades.” Can China avoid that fate, and if not, what are implications for Taiwan and the rest of the world?
Speaker’s Bio: Richard Hornik is an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the East-West Center. During his 40-year career in journalism he served as Executive Editor of AsiaWeek, News Service Director of TIME magazine, and TIME’s Bureau Chief in Warsaw, Boston, Beijing and Hong Kong. He co-authored Massacre in Beijing: China’s Struggle for Democracy, and has written on China for Foreign Affairs,Fortune, The New York Times and Wall Street Journal. He also served as Interim Editor of the Harvard Business Review. Mr. Hornik was a Lecturer at Stony Brook University from 2007-19, where he helped develop and propagate its innovative News Literacy curriculum now used in over 40 universities worldwide. He was a Visiting Lecturer at Hong Kong University in 2012 and at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in 2015, where he was also the inaugural Daniel K. Inouye Visiting Scholar.
The views expressed are those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect East-West Center nor Friends of the East-West Center policies or position.
The China Seminar was founded by Dr. Daniel W.Y. Kwok 45 years ago. Under his guidance, it became a signature program of the Friends of the East-West Center (FEWC) in 2009. The program provides an informal venue for China experts, such as scholars, diplomats, and journalists, to present talks on aspects of China that interest the community and members of the Friends. Topics include politics, economics, social issues, history, culture, food, arts, and many other subjects. Though Dr. Kwok has recently retired from his involvement with the program, the FEWC and the East-West Center remain committed to continuing this important program.
Friends of the East-West Center 