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May 30, 2017 CURRENT AFFAIRS Award-Winning Journalist Ellen Barry on India's Missing Women Workers Last week, New York Times journalist Ellen Barry was awarded Asia Society’s Osborn Elliott Prize for Excellence in Journalism on Asia for her series of articles exploring why tens of millions of women in India have dropped out of the labor force due to sexist resistance and practical difficulty. In a discussion at the ceremony honoring her, Barry noted how gender norms that require many women to seek permission to leave home have stymied India's economic potential — and caused tremendous hardship for many of the country's most vulnerable citizens. Read Article

POLICY A 'Very Dangerous Period' for the U.S. and China Speaking at Asia Society in New York last week, author Howard French said that China seeks to be the dominant power in Asia and gain control of maritime territories it feels entitled to. But a rapidly aging society makes achieving this an urgent matter — a danger for U.S.-China relations. “[China’s leaders] have a moment of opportunity now,” French said. “They should lock in as many gains as they can because they know in 10 to 15 years, the bill is going to come due in a horrendous way and they are going to be constrained.” Read Article CURRENT AFFAIRS Novelist Min Jin Lee on the 'Eternal Foreignness' of Being Asian American Novelist Min Jin Lee has made a career of telling the stories of people largely neglected by literature and popular culture. In an interview with Asia Blog, she discussed her work depicting the ethnically Korean population living in Japan, as well as the “invisibility” of Asian Americans in literature and how this lends itself to identity struggles for young Asian Americans. Read Article

UPCOMING EVENTS New York — China and the U.S.: Destined for War?, 5/31 Hong Kong — ‘A Kind of Miracle’: Burma/ Myanmar and the Irrawaddy Literary Festival, 6/1 Zurich — In Conversation: Princess Akiko of Mikasa, 6/1 JOIN & SUPPORT Asia Society relies on the generosity of its friends and members to support its mission of strengthening relationships and promoting understanding among the people, leaders, and institutions of Asia and the United States. Become a Member Donate