Alexandria, VA - Perhaps more than any other country in the world right now, China is in transformation - cultural, economic and political - making its business environment volatile and fraught with security concerns for global companies already operating in East Asia and others seeking to expand their business to the region.
ASIS International's (ASIS) The Asian Century for Business: A Security Challenge, being held May 22-23, 2006 at the Hilton Washington Embassy Row Hotel in Washington, DC, will address many of these concerns, including: regional security, organized crime, the rise of nationalism and terrorism, intellectual property enforcement, socioeconomic upheaval and cyber security in China, Taiwan, Korea and Japan. The program was developed with the advice and counsel of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
The Honorable J. Stapleton Roy, the former Ambassador to China and Chairman of the Advisory Council of the Brookings Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies (CNAPS), will highlight the program with a keynote address on "U.S.-China Relations and Outlook," lending his experience as a 45-year veteran of the Foreign Service to provide a long-term perspective on the remarkable changes China is now undergoing. Mr. Roy's address will also consider such issues as whether China can continue its historic economic expansion, how the fundamental rules of business in East Asia and the world are shifting and what the greatest risks are for corporations with interests in China and East Asia.
Col. (U.S. Army retired) Larry M.Wortzel, Ph.D., Visiting Fellow at the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies, The Heritage Foundation, will offer the program's other keynote address, entitled "Risks and Opportunities of a Rising China and Robust Asia." Dr. Wortzela noted East Asia expert with a distinguished career in strategy and intelligencewill examine the implications of China's economic growth, review its strategy for securing its economic interests and consider the challenges faced by foreign firms in exercising due diligence in a country where Communist party relationships trump the rule of law.
The conference will bring together experts from a variety of global companies, government agencies and independent think-tanks, all focused on the business and security issues at play in China and East Asia, and their potential regional and global impact.
"In today's global business environment, China and East Asia are the biggest growth markets and are where companies are going. Even without direct investment in Asia, companies will feel the impact of trends happening in that part of the world and security professionals simply must be plugged in to what is happening there," said Regis W. Becker, CPP, ASIS program chair and Global Director, Security & Compliance, PPG Industries. "Given the almost daily headlines on the challenges confronting the rapid business growth of this region, we are especially pleased to offer such a timely and high-powered program to business and security leaders who can use this information to better prepare and improve the performance of their own organizations."
Scheduled presenters / sessions include Kurt Campbell, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Henry A. Kissinger Chair in National Security, Director of International Security Program, CSIS, speaking on "East Asian Security Outlook: Regional, Internal and Emerging Threats"; Daniel Benjamin, Ph.D., Senior Fellow, International Security Program, CSIS, speaking on "Transnational Threats from Extremist Islamic Terrorism to Organized Crime: East Asia in Focus"; Minxin Pei, Ph.D., Senior Associate and Director, China Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, addressing "Areas of Concern in China's Future"; and Carola McGiffert, Fellow, International Security Program, and James Lewis, Ph.D., Senior Fellow and Director, Technology and Public Policy Program at CSIS, discussing "Security Issues on the Horizon in China and East Asia."
The program will close with a discussion of a variety of business and security practices and concerns in East Asia, utilizing a panel of experts including: Rudy Guerin, Deputy Assistant Director of the Foreign Counterintelligence Division, FBI; Keith E. Riggin, President, Pamir Resources & Consulting, Inc. and former Chief of Station, CIA, American Embassy, Beijing; David Fernyhough, Executive Vice President, Business Intelligence and Integrity Risk, Hill & Associates, Hong Kong; and Richard LaMagna, former Senior Manager, Worldwide Investigations, Microsoft Corporation. For additional topics and speakers, visit the course profile on the ASIS website.
