#224 Henry Kissinger; 12/12 Section 702 Briefing; WH Commission/WH Fellows; DETERRENT Act

In This Issue #224

·       Invited Report: Dr. Kissinger's Passing and the Debate over His One-China Policy

·       12/12 Community Briefing on Section 702 of FISA

·       President's Advisory Commission Renewed; White House Fellows Program Opens

·       CAPAC Chair Urges Opposition to DETERRENT Act on House Floor

·       News and Activities for the Communities

Invited Report: Dr. Kissinger's Passing and the Debate over His One-China Policy 

Author: Juan Zhang, Editor, US-China Perception Monitor/中美印象, Carter Center, Juan.Zhang@cartercenter.org

On November 29, 2023, Dr. Henry Kissinger, former U.S. Secretary of State, passed away at the age of 100. Dr. Kissinger advised 12 U.S. presidents on foreign policy, from President Kennedy to President Biden. The foreign policies he shaped influenced the lives of billions of people worldwide.This is especially true when it comes to China. In the early 1970s, Dr. Kissinger, with a strategic vision and great wisdom, opened the door for China to engage with the United States. China has since changed profoundly. The one-China policy and strategic ambiguity toward cross-strait was at the heart of the China policy that Dr. Kissinger and his aides crafted. This policy has helped maintain peace in East Asia for decades, laying the foundation for the region's prosperity.In light of growing competition in US-China relations, the policy of strategic ambiguity has become a point of tension. China hawks explicitly call for arming and defending Taiwan. Even President Biden has “misspoken” four times in recent months that the U.S. will come to Taiwan’s defense if China uses force.

Under those noises, some experts and former diplomats have started to voice their support for policies that will and have maintained cross-strait peace. In a recent in-depth interview with the US-China Perception Monitor of the Carter Center, Ambassador Winston Lord, the close aide who accompanied Dr. Kissinger on visiting China in 1970s, shared his view on this question:The bipartisan Taiwan policy of nine American Presidents is one of the greatest diplomatic achievements in recent history, and "strategic ambiguity" is an essential part of that policy.  …… To switch to "strategic clarity" would destroy a half-century of "One China" policy, upend our relationship with Beijing, and give Taiwan leaders the green light to take provocative actions, assuring that we would come to their defense in case of conflict, no matter what the origins.(Read the full piece: https://uscnpm.org/2023/11/30/ambassador-winston-lord/)

Furthermore, three top-notch experts on China/Taiwan published a joint article on Foreign Affairs. In their piece, Bonnie S. Glaser, Jessica Chen Weiss, and Thomas J. Christensen argue that the United States cannot rely solely on deterrence to China. It should use a combination of assurance and deterrence. While strengthening deterrence, the United States should assure China that it will not support Taiwan's independence. At the same time, China must continue to explore peaceful unification means. Those points reflect fundamental elements of the strategic ambiguity policy that Dr. Kissinger, Ambassador Lord, and others established decades ago.(Read the full piece: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/taiwan/taiwan-china-true-sources-deterrence)

Community Briefing on Section 702 of FISA

WHAT: Webinar - Community Briefing on Section 702 of FISA: Sweeping Reforms to Warrantless Surveillance Initiative

WHEN: December 12, 2023, 2-3 pm ET/11-12 noon PTHOSTS:  Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), Advancing Justice | AAJC, APA Justice, Brennan Center for Justice, Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA)MODERATOR: Eri Andriola, Associate Director of Policy & Litigation, AASFSPEAKERS:

· Noah Chauvin, Counsel, Liberty & National Security, Brennan Center for Justice

· Joanna YangQing Derman, Director of Anti-Profiling, Civil Rights, and National Security, Advancing Justice | AAJC

· Gisela Perez Kusakawa, Executive Director, AASF

· Andy Wong, Managing Director of Advocacy, CAA

DESCRIPTION: The briefing will feature civil rights, national security, and policy experts, who will break down what Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) is and how it impacts Asian American communities. Panelists will discuss the key reform bills at play, including the Government Surveillance Reform Act (GSRA) and the Protecting Liberty and Ending Warrantless Surveillance Act (PLEWSA), and how the Asian American community and advocates can get involved on this issue.REGISTRATION: https://bit.ly/41ejxkG

Breaking News:  NBC News reported on December 6, 2023, that lawmakers have reached an agreement to temporarily extend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).  The agreement to reauthorize FISA through April 2024 is part of bipartisan and bicameral negotiations over a path forward for the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Read the NBC News report:  https://nbcnews.to/3Nho4NvEarlier on December 5, 2023, a post on X, previously Tweeter, by Punchbowl News reported that House Speaker Mike Johnson nixed (more permanent) reauthorization of Section 702 in the NDAA.  Read the X post: https://bit.ly/47Mdvdj

President's Advisory Commission Renewed; White House Fellows Program Opens

On September 29, 2023, President Joe Biden signed Executive Order 14109 to renew the President's Advisory Commission through September 2025. The action also amends Executive Order 14031 to provide commissioners with new authorities to more effectively communicate their work with the public. Established in May 2021, and co-chaired by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra and U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai, the 25-member Commission of AA and NHPI leaders advises the President on ways the public, private and non-profit sectors can work together to advance equity, justice, and opportunity for AA and NHPI communities.  Read the White House announcement: https://bit.ly/3T8P2un 

White House Fellows Program Opens

Applications for the Class of 2024-2025 White House Fellows Program is now open through 3:00 p.m. ET on Friday, January 5, 2024.  You can apply here now: https://bit.ly/3OGlwb1.  Individual registration is required.

On December 7, 2023, starting at 8 pm ET, the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI) will host an online event for the public to learn how to apply, explore selection criteria, and ask for advice directly from Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander alumni panelists.  Register for "An Introduction to the White House Fellows Program" here: https://bit.ly/3RbsAxZ

Meet The AANHPI Team at The White House

From left to right:

·       Krystal Ka‘ai, Executive Director, White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders

·       Neera Tanden, Senior Advisor to the President and White House Staff Secretary

·       Erika L. Moritsugu, Deputy Assistant to the President and AA and NHPI Senior Liaison

·       Philip Kim, Senior Advisor, White House Office of Public Engagement

They were introduced by Hannah Y. Kim, Asia-Pacific policy adviser to the White House Chief of Staff, in a video celebrating the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month during the APA Justice monthly meeting on May 1, 2023.A summary for the monthly meeting has been posted at https://bit.ly/3RwbRa0.  Other speakers at the meeting were

·       Nisha Ramachandran, Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, nisha.ramachandran@mail.house.gov 

·       John Yang 杨重远, President and Executive Director, Advancing Justice | AAJC

·       Gisela Kusakawa, Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), gpkusakawa@aasforum.org

·       Brenna Isman, Director of Academy Studies, National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA)

·       Paula Williams Madison, Former Print and TV Journalist, Retired NBCUniversal executive

CAPAC Chair Urges Opposition to DETERRENT Act on House Floor

According to a press release by the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) on December 6, 2023, CAPAC Chair Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28) took to the House Floor to urge her colleagues to vote in opposition to H.R. 5933, the DETERRENT Act.Her remarks as delivered:“As Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, I rise in strong opposition to the DETERRENT Act.“The DETERRENT Act would burden higher education institutions and federal agencies by needlessly complicating existing research security measures. Further, the bill would impose unreasonably expansive reporting requirements on individual researchers. What is worst is that it would broadcast their personal information on public databases, therefore casting a chilling effect disproportionately on the Asian American academic community.“From the incarceration of Japanese Americans in World War II to racial profiling of Chinese American scientists under the failed China Initiative, countless Asian Americans have had their lives destroyed because our government falsely accused them of being spies. Already, seventy two percent of Asian American academic researchers report feeling unsafe.

“Safeguarding national security can be done through commonsense reforms that Democrats have offered that don’t come at the expense of U.S. scientific innovation, global collaboration, and the Asian American community. In fact, Congressmember Bobby Scott has submitted such an amendment that is a commonsense reform. In the meanwhile, this bill, the DETERRENT Act, is a bill that I urge all my colleagues to vote no on.”

News and Activities for the Communities

APA Justice Community Calendar

Upcoming Events:2023/12/06 1882 Foundation Lecture and Reception: We are Americans 2023/12/07 An Introduction to The White House Fellows Program2023/12/10 Rep. Gene Wu's Weekly town hall meeting2023/12/12 Community Briefing on Section 702 of FISA2023/12/17 Rep. Gene Wu's Weekly town hall meetingVisit https://bit.ly/45KGyga for event details.