The Pacific Council is excited to host an intimate roundtable discussion with one of the nation’s foremost experts on U.S.-China relations on June 12 at 5 pm PT. Ryan Hass, Director, John L. Thornton China Center at Brookings in Washington, D.C., will engage members on the full range of issues shaping the U.S.-China relationship, including developments in Taiwan, where he frequently convenes with top leaders, including President William Lai. Hass brings decades of experience from his work at the State Department, the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, and the National Security Council.

A regular participant in influential “Track Two” dialogues—informal, high-level conversations among experienced non-governmental actors—Hass has long contributed to fostering mutual understanding during challenging periods in U.S.-China relations. He recently returned from China, where he met with senior figures across government, business, and academia to assess the current state of the relationship and identify paths forward.

His visit to Los Angeles is made possible by Capital Group. 

Please note that capacity is limited to 20 individuals. If you register and are no longer able to attend, or if you’d like to be placed on the waitlist, please reach out to events@pacificcouncil.org. 

Why it's important:

• Beijing accused Pete Hegseth of provoking China and threatening “peace and stability" within the South China Sea using “inflammatory rhetoric” and his promotion of a “Cold War mentality.”
• The U.S.-China trade relationship threatens to worsen as the U.S. complains that Beijing has failed to follow through on its original agreement to lift trade restrictions on exports of critical minerals. 
• Marco Rubio announced that the U.S. will “aggressively revoke” visas from international students from China, and increase the level of scrutiny used in reviewing visa applications from both China and Hong Kong.  

This event has reached capacity. To join the waitlist, please contact us at events@pacificcouncil.org.

Speaker

Ryan Hass is director of the John L. Thornton China Center and the Chen-Fu and Cecilia Yen Koo Chair in Taiwan Studies at Brookings. He is also a senior fellow in the Center for Asia Policy Studies. He was part of the inaugural class of David M. Rubenstein fellows at Brookings, and is a nonresident affiliated fellow in the Paul Tsai China Center at Yale Law School. Hass focuses his research and analysis on enhancing policy development on the pressing political, economic, and security challenges facing the United States in East Asia.

From 2013 to 2017, Hass served as the director for China, Taiwan and Mongolia at the National Security Council (NSC) staff. In that role, he advised President Obama and senior White House officials on all aspects of U.S. policy toward China, Taiwan, and Mongolia, and coordinated the implementation of U.S. policy toward this region among U.S. government departments and agencies. He joined President Obama’s state visit delegations in Beijing and Washington respectively in 2014 and 2015, and the president’s delegation to Hangzhou, China, for the G-20 in 2016, and to Lima, Peru, for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders Meetings in 2016.

Prior to joining NSC, Hass served as a Foreign Service Officer in U.S. Embassy Beijing, where he earned the State Department Director General’s award for impact and originality in reporting, an award given annually to the officer whose reporting had the greatest impact on the formulation of U.S. foreign policy. Hass also served in Embassy Seoul and Embassy Ulaanbaatar, and domestically in the State Department Offices of Taiwan Coordination and Korean Affairs. Hass received multiple Superior Honor and Meritorious Honor commendations during his 15-year tenure in the Foreign Service.

Hass is the author of “Stronger: Adapting America’s China Strategy in an Age of Competitive Interdependence” (Yale University Press, 2021), a co-editor of “Global China: Assessing China’s Growing Role in the World” (Brookings Press, 2021), of the monograph, “The future of US policy toward China: Recommendations for the Biden administration” (Brookings, 2020), and a co-author of “U.S.-Taiwan Relations: Will China’s Challenge Lead to a Crisis?” (Brookings Press, 2023).

Hass was born and raised in Washington state. He graduated from the University of Washington and attended the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies prior to joining the State Department.

Moderator

Tom Cooney is a vice president and international policy advisor at Capital Group since 2023. He has 31 years of foreign affairs experience and has been with Capital Group for two years. Prior to joining Capital, Tom worked as vice president of global public policy at General Motors for four years. Before that, he was a minister counselor with the Senior Foreign Service of the U.S. State Department. Tom served as a U.S. diplomat for 25 years with multiple embassy assignments in China and South America, including serving as the interim U.S. Ambassador to Argentina (Chargé d'Affaires). He holds a master's degree in international business studies from the University of South Carolina and a bachelor's degree in communications from Cornell University. Tom speaks Mandarin Chinese and Spanish and is based in Los Angeles.  

This event has reached capacity. To join the waitlist, please contact us at events@pacificcouncil.org.