Pakistan's Leader Comes to Washington

Monday’s White House meeting between President Donald Trump and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan began on an inauspicious note: In his opening remarks, Trump said that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked if he would mediate the country’s long-simmering conflict with Pakistan over Kashmir, a disputed territory, prompting the Indian foreign ministry to issue a prompt denial that such talks ever happened.

Khan’s visit to Washington could also have implications for another of Pakistan’s key neighbors: Afghanistan. Pakistan’s cooperation is considered necessary to any enduring peace arrangement between the Taliban, U.S. government, and the Afghan government. Hassan Abbas, an Asia Society Global Council member, explains more in a recent piece for the Center for Global Policy:

“For Trump, what matters most is Pakistan’s policy toward peace in Afghanistan,” he writes. “U.S. Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad’s regular meetings with Pakistani leaders and officials indicate that Pakistan is in the know about the Taliban negotiations and is being trusted with some actions. But to persuade Trump to reinvigorate the U.S.-Pakistani relationship, Pakistan will have to offer something tangible and verifiable — not mere rhetoric — that supports the ongoing peace talks with the Taliban.”

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ECONOMICS

Should Australia Decouple From China?

Few major economies engage as much with China as Australia: Two-way trade in goods and services grew from $13.8 billion in 1999-2000 to $194.6 billion in 2017-8, and exports to China make up nearly 7 percent of Australia’s GDP. Recently, skeptics of this relationship have argued that it leaves Australia vulnerable to Chinese coercion and have called for diversifying trade partnerships.

But Neil Thomas, a research associate at MacroPolo, writes in Asia Society Australia’s Disruptive Asia that these calls for disengagement from China could threaten a relationship that has worked out well for Australia:

“Critics of Australia’s economic engagement with China tend to portray the relationship as a racket run by a nefarious cabal of conspiring elites, but this depiction misses (perhaps willfully) the enormous breadth of benefits delivered by trade and investment with China,” he writes. “These benefits include stronger employment, lower prices, more exports, greater investment, faster innovation, productivity growth, and higher incomes.”

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ARTS

The Asian American International Film Festival in New York

The first and longest-running Asian American film festival in the United States, AAIFF has screened films from over 20 countries, provided the U.S. premiere for directors such as Wayne Wang and Ang Lee, and continues to support the New York Asian American film community. This year, the festival proudly presents a selection of films that support diverse narratives, inclusive communities, and media as social change.

Click here for complete festival coverage and to purchase tickets for screenings at Asia Society New York.

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UPCOMING EVENTS

On July 24, the consuls general for four Asian countries — China, Japan, South Korea, and India — will discuss what President Trump’s “America First” foreign policy might look like for their countries at an Asia Society Northern California-hosted program in San Francisco. More information here.
On July 25, the Indian former government minister Salman Khurshid will discuss his new book on Muslim identity in India with journalist Sidharth Bhatia at the Hall of Culture, Nehru Centre, Mumbai. More information here.
And on July 30, as part of the Asia Society Policy Institute’s AsiaX series, New York Times China correspondent Amy Qin will deliver a presentation at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, D.C., and then engage in conversation with ASPI’s Lindsey Ford. More information here.

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