On October 31-November 1, South Korea will host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Meeting in Gyeongju. Under the theme "Building a Sustainable Tomorrow," Korea’s agenda centers on AI governance, responses to demographic change, and inclusive growth. The summit unfolds against a complex geopolitical backdrop, with U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping preparing for their first face-to-face meeting in over six years.
Join the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) for a timely conversation unpacking the summit’s outcomes, including Korea's AI Initiative and framework for cooperation on aging societies. We’ll also evaluate APEC’s path forward in addressing trade tensions, digital transformation, and supply chain resilience, as well as preview China’s 2026 priorities. ASPI Senior Vice President Wendy Cutler will be joined by Casey Mace (pending), U.S. Senior Official to Asia-Pacific Economic Forum; Daniel Russel, ASPI Distinguished Fellow; Chul Chung, Chief Research Officer at The Federation of Korean Industries; and Richard Cantor, Vice Chairman at Moody’s Investors Service. Additional speakers to be announced.
This program is part of an event series sponsored by the Korea Foundation-Mia & Spencer Kim Endowment at the Asia Society.
Speakers
Casey Mace (pending) represents the United States as the U.S. Senior Official to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum. In this role, Mr. Mace leads U.S. engagement to the premier economic body in the Asia Pacific region. He also oversees the work of the Office of Economic Policy in the State Department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Prior to assuming the role of Senior Official in August 2025, Mr. Mace served as the Charge d’Affaires and Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) at the U.S. Embassy in Singapore from 2022-2025. A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Mr. Mace has worked for the U.S. Department of State for over 23 years, primarily focused on U.S. relations in the Indo-Pacific. During President Trump’s first term, Mr. Mace served on the National Security Council staff as the President’s principal Southeast Asia advisor. In that role, he prepared the President for his bilateral engagements with Southeast Asian leaders, including President Trump’s first meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. Earlier in his career, Mr. Mace served as a First Secretary at the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, Unit Chief in the State Department’s China office, and the Deputy Secretary of State’s Special Assistant for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Mr. Mace has also served at the American Consulates in Sydney and Guangzhou. Before joining the State Department, Mr. Mace worked for a consultancy in the Space and Telecom industries. Mr. Mace earned a bachelors degree from Georgetown University, and he has studied Bahasa Indonesia and Mandarin Chinese for his career. He and his wife have four children.
Daniel Russel is a Distinguished Fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI). Previously, he served as Vice President for International Security and Diplomacy and a Diplomat in Residence and Senior Fellow with ASPI. A career member of the Senior Foreign Service at the U.S. Department of State, he most recently served as the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Prior to his appointment as Assistant Secretary on July 12, 2013, Mr. Russel served at the White House as Special Assistant to the President and National Security Council (NSC) Senior Director for Asian Affairs. During his tenure there, he helped formulate President Obama’s strategic rebalance to the Asia Pacific region, including efforts to strengthen alliances, deepen U.S. engagement with multilateral organizations, and expand cooperation with emerging powers in the region.
Chul Chung is President of the Korea Economic Research Institute (KERI) and Chief Research Officer (CRO) of the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI). He also serves as Co-Chair of the Korea National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation (KOPEC). Prior to his current roles, Dr. Chung was Senior Vice President at the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP). Before returning to Korea, he taught international economics at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) in the United States. He has also served as an adjunct professor at the Graduate School of International Studies, Seoul National University, and at the KDI School of Public Policy and Management. He previously served as Editor-in-Chief of the East Asian Economic Review and Journal of International Trade and Industry Studies.
In government services, Dr. Chung was Senior Trade Advisor to the Minister of Trade, Industry, and Energy (MOTIE), and a member of several ministerial advisory committees. From 2009 to 2012, while on leave from KIEP, he worked in Washington, D.C. as Chief Economist at the Korea International Trade Association (KITA), where he contributed to the ratification of the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA).
Richard Cantor chairs the US National Committee of the Pacific Economic Council (PECC) and co-chairs PECC International, positions assumed in 2019 and 2020, respectively. In 2015, he was appointed by the U.S. State Department to a three-year term as a member of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Business Advisory Council (ABAC), during which he chaired ABAC’s Financial and Economic Working Group. Richard Cantor is concurrently Vice Chairman at Moody’s Ratings, a position he assumed in 2022, in which advises the company’s president and serves as an external spokesperson on credit markets and regulation. From 2008 to 2022, Mr. Cantor was Moody’s Ratings’ Chief Credit Officer, responsible for the rating agency’s credit strategy, thematic research, models, methodologies, and the quality of its ratings. From 2009 to 2019, Mr. Cantor also served as Moody’s Corporation’s Chief Risk Officer, leading the firm’s global risk management function.
Wendy Cutler (moderator) is Vice President at the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) and the managing director of the Asia Society’s Washington, D.C. office. She focuses on leading initiatives that address challenges related to trade, investment, and economic security, as well as women’s empowerment in Asia. Wendy draws on her extensive network across Asia and the US Government to grow ASPI’s presence in Washington and promote policy exchange. She has published a series of ASPI papers on the Asian trade landscape and serves as a regular media commentator on trade and investment developments in Asia and the world. She joined ASPI following an illustrious career of nearly three decades as a diplomat and negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), where she also served as Acting Deputy U.S. Trade Representative. During her USTR career, she worked on a range of bilateral, regional, and multilateral trade negotiations and initiatives, including the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, U.S.-China negotiations, and the WTO Financial Services negotiations.
After Gyeongju: APEC 2025 Outcomes and the Future of Regional Cooperation
Host
Thu, Nov 06, 09:00 AM - 11:00 AM (EST)
To be shared on approval (New York)
20 attendees
On October 31-November 1, South Korea will host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Meeting in Gyeongju. Under the theme "Building a Sustainable Tomorrow," Korea’s agenda centers on AI governance, responses to demographic change, and inclusive growth. The summit unfolds against a complex geopolitical backdrop, with U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping preparing for their first face-to-face meeting in over six years.
Join the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) for a timely conversation unpacking the summit’s outcomes, including Korea's AI Initiative and framework for cooperation on aging societies. We’ll also evaluate APEC’s path forward in addressing trade tensions, digital transformation, and supply chain resilience, as well as preview China’s 2026 priorities. ASPI Senior Vice President Wendy Cutler will be joined by Casey Mace (pending), U.S. Senior Official to Asia-Pacific Economic Forum; Daniel Russel, ASPI Distinguished Fellow; Chul Chung, Chief Research Officer at The Federation of Korean Industries; and Richard Cantor, Vice Chairman at Moody’s Investors Service. Additional speakers to be announced.
This program is part of an event series sponsored by the Korea Foundation-Mia & Spencer Kim Endowment at the Asia Society.
Speakers
Casey Mace (pending) represents the United States as the U.S. Senior Official to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum. In this role, Mr. Mace leads U.S. engagement to the premier economic body in the Asia Pacific region. He also oversees the work of the Office of Economic Policy in the State Department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Prior to assuming the role of Senior Official in August 2025, Mr. Mace served as the Charge d’Affaires and Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) at the U.S. Embassy in Singapore from 2022-2025. A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Mr. Mace has worked for the U.S. Department of State for over 23 years, primarily focused on U.S. relations in the Indo-Pacific. During President Trump’s first term, Mr. Mace served on the National Security Council staff as the President’s principal Southeast Asia advisor. In that role, he prepared the President for his bilateral engagements with Southeast Asian leaders, including President Trump’s first meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. Earlier in his career, Mr. Mace served as a First Secretary at the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, Unit Chief in the State Department’s China office, and the Deputy Secretary of State’s Special Assistant for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Mr. Mace has also served at the American Consulates in Sydney and Guangzhou. Before joining the State Department, Mr. Mace worked for a consultancy in the Space and Telecom industries. Mr. Mace earned a bachelors degree from Georgetown University, and he has studied Bahasa Indonesia and Mandarin Chinese for his career. He and his wife have four children.
Daniel Russel is a Distinguished Fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI). Previously, he served as Vice President for International Security and Diplomacy and a Diplomat in Residence and Senior Fellow with ASPI. A career member of the Senior Foreign Service at the U.S. Department of State, he most recently served as the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Prior to his appointment as Assistant Secretary on July 12, 2013, Mr. Russel served at the White House as Special Assistant to the President and National Security Council (NSC) Senior Director for Asian Affairs. During his tenure there, he helped formulate President Obama’s strategic rebalance to the Asia Pacific region, including efforts to strengthen alliances, deepen U.S. engagement with multilateral organizations, and expand cooperation with emerging powers in the region.
Chul Chung is President of the Korea Economic Research Institute (KERI) and Chief Research Officer (CRO) of the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI). He also serves as Co-Chair of the Korea National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation (KOPEC). Prior to his current roles, Dr. Chung was Senior Vice President at the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP). Before returning to Korea, he taught international economics at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) in the United States. He has also served as an adjunct professor at the Graduate School of International Studies, Seoul National University, and at the KDI School of Public Policy and Management. He previously served as Editor-in-Chief of the East Asian Economic Review and Journal of International Trade and Industry Studies.
In government services, Dr. Chung was Senior Trade Advisor to the Minister of Trade, Industry, and Energy (MOTIE), and a member of several ministerial advisory committees. From 2009 to 2012, while on leave from KIEP, he worked in Washington, D.C. as Chief Economist at the Korea International Trade Association (KITA), where he contributed to the ratification of the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA).
Richard Cantor chairs the US National Committee of the Pacific Economic Council (PECC) and co-chairs PECC International, positions assumed in 2019 and 2020, respectively. In 2015, he was appointed by the U.S. State Department to a three-year term as a member of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Business Advisory Council (ABAC), during which he chaired ABAC’s Financial and Economic Working Group. Richard Cantor is concurrently Vice Chairman at Moody’s Ratings, a position he assumed in 2022, in which advises the company’s president and serves as an external spokesperson on credit markets and regulation. From 2008 to 2022, Mr. Cantor was Moody’s Ratings’ Chief Credit Officer, responsible for the rating agency’s credit strategy, thematic research, models, methodologies, and the quality of its ratings. From 2009 to 2019, Mr. Cantor also served as Moody’s Corporation’s Chief Risk Officer, leading the firm’s global risk management function.
Wendy Cutler (moderator) is Vice President at the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) and the managing director of the Asia Society’s Washington, D.C. office. She focuses on leading initiatives that address challenges related to trade, investment, and economic security, as well as women’s empowerment in Asia. Wendy draws on her extensive network across Asia and the US Government to grow ASPI’s presence in Washington and promote policy exchange. She has published a series of ASPI papers on the Asian trade landscape and serves as a regular media commentator on trade and investment developments in Asia and the world. She joined ASPI following an illustrious career of nearly three decades as a diplomat and negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), where she also served as Acting Deputy U.S. Trade Representative. During her USTR career, she worked on a range of bilateral, regional, and multilateral trade negotiations and initiatives, including the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, U.S.-China negotiations, and the WTO Financial Services negotiations.