Global Business Briefing with The Honorable Daniel Kritenbrink, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs

On November 2, 2023, the Meridian Corporate Council partnered with SK Group to host a Global Business Briefing with The Honorable Daniel Kritenbrink, Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, U.S. Department of State. The discussion highlighted U.S. economic engagement in the Indo-Pacific, including IPEF negotiations, the ASEAN summit, and the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week.

About The Honorable Daniel Kritenbrink

Daniel J. Kritenbrink became Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs on September 24, 2021. A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Career Minister, Kritenbrink has been an American diplomat since 1994. Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink previously served as U.S. Ambassador to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (2017-2021), Senior Director for Asian Affairs at the National Security Council (2015-2017), and Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing (2013-2015). He also completed multiple other overseas tours in Beijing, Tokyo, Sapporo, and Kuwait City. His other Washington assignments have included Director of the Office of Chinese and Mongolian Affairs at the Department of State and Staff Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs.  A Nebraska native, Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink earned a master’s degree at the University of Virginia, and a bachelor’s degree at the University of Nebraska-Kearney. He speaks Chinese and Japanese.  

Here are some takeaways from the program:

With the United States hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Forum (APEC) in 2023 in San Francisco, the stage is set to tackle shared challenges in a region accounting for nearly 40 percent of the global population, almost 50 percent of global trade, and more than 60 percent of U.S. goods exports. Meridian Corporate Council members gathered to discuss and analyze the dynamic economic landscape in one of the most strategically important regions. The program delved into various aspects of the U.S.'s economic involvement in the Indo-Pacific, exploring opportunities, challenges, and the broader implications for global trade and cooperation.

This program was made possible through the support of: