Asia Matters for America

10/01/2026

As young entrepreneurs and engineers in the Bay Area work toward building frontier technologies, a burgeoning social milieu centers on optimizing the human body—through a gray market of Chinese drugs.

Read more here: https://bit.ly/4xAGm0f

[Image Credit: Cgbriggs19 / Wikimedia Commons]

09/29/2026

As the United States’s approach to Tonga shifts from foreign assistance to private sector-led economic growth, the National Football League (NFL) and USA Football’s footprint in Tonga offers a compelling case on how to make this transition truly effective.

Read more here:

As the United States’s approach to Tonga shifts from foreign assistance to private sector-led economic growth, the National Football League (NFL) and USA Football’s footprint in Tonga offers a compelling case on how to make this transition truly effective.

09/24/2026

120 years ago, 15 Filipino laborers known as sakadas arrived in Hawai'i to work on sugar plantation fields. As the last major ethnic group to arrive on the island as laborers, they were treated poorly compared to others including Japanese, Chinese, and Portuguese. Despite tragedies that struck Hawai'i’s Filipino communities throughout the century, the descendants of the sakadas established their legacy on the island.

Read the article:

120 years ago, 15 Filipino laborers known as sakadas arrived in Hawai'i to work on sugar plantation fields. As the last major ethnic group to arrive on the island as laborers, they were treated poorly compared to others including Japanese, Chinese, and Portuguese. Despite tragedies that struck Hawai...

09/22/2026

As AI reshapes economies, labor, education, and governance, growing US-India cooperation is creating new opportunities across artificial intelligence, semiconductors, critical minerals, infrastructure, and talent development. From the IndiaAI Mission to initiatives such as TRUST and Pax Silica, both countries are working to strengthen their AI ecosystems while advancing economic and national security.

What could deeper U.S.-India collaboration mean for the future of AI?

Read the analysis here by our interns Napintakorn (Pin) Kasemsri and Anna Trissa: https://bit.ly/4xo2V8e

[Image by Cash Macanaya via Unsplash]

09/17/2026

Tennessee and Japan relations is deeper than some may expect; it was deliberately formed, shaped, and pioneered by key figures on both sides.

Learn more:

Tennessee and Japan relations have been fueled by the key figures in Japan and Tennessee, through the rise of Japanese automobile industry and its effect on Southern economic development.

09/15/2026

With only 18.8% of the population using the internet in 2024, Papua New Guinea continues to face major connectivity challenges. Starlink’s $30 million investment could help overcome the country’s difficult geography, but connectivity alone may not guarantee digital inclusion.

The following analysis looks at what Starlink could mean for education, healthcare, economic development, and the future of US engagement in the Pacific. Read more: https://bit.ly/4xEkXnH

[Image Credit: Forest Katsch / Unsplash]

09/10/2026

Just one day before the United States achieved its 2-0 victory against Australia, a long-standing treaty ally in the Pacific since 1951, Seattle beat Sydney’s Guiness World Record for the most dim sum eaten in one sitting.

Learn more about Seattle’s Dim Sum Day and how June 18 will reflect the cultures, populations, and strength of the city’s historic Chinatown-International District for years to come. https://asiamattersforamerica.org/articles/seattles-dim-sum-day-showcases-asian-american-community-on-the-world-stage

[Image Credit: Febrian Zakaria / Unsplash]

09/08/2026

Japanese biotechnology firms are reshaping the US cell therapy landscape by leveraging partnerships with leading research institutions and investing in advanced manufacturing facilities across several US states, including North Carolina, to strengthen domestic life sciences innovation and supply chains.

Image Credit: Sangharsh Lohakare / Unsplash

Read more: https://asiamattersforamerica.org/articles/japanese-biotechnology-firms-capture-north-carolina-in-new-cell-therapy-development-and-manufacturing-investments

09/03/2026

As Taiwanese technology giants pivot towards investing in Texas, Taiwan Expo USA 2026 marks another milestone in showcasing how Taiwan is exporting its semiconductor, manufacturing, and innovation ecosystem to build a new US technology corridor amid global supply-chain realignment.

Read more here: https://asiamattersforamerica.org/articles/taiwans-next-frontier-bringing-chips-ai-and-innovation-to-texas

[Image by Heeheemalu / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY SA 4 0)]

09/03/2026

Welcome back to our tour of Filipino American cultural sites in Honolulu! Site #6 is Waipahu Festival Marketplace!

💡The Waipahu Festival Marketplace was designed to revitalize Waipahu’s town core following the shuttering of Oahu Sugar Mill, Arakawa’s Store, and Big Way Supermarket in the 1990s.

🌷Opened in November 2007, the property was procured and refurbished by the Waipahu Community Association, backed by public and private funding.

🌷There is also a food store called Pampanga inside the marketplace. They sell Filipino food, such as Dinigding, a vegitable dish from Ilocos region.

Filipino greeting which goes, “Kumain ka na?” meaning “Did you eat yet?” is often used to ask, “How are you?.” Food is powerful, especially in Filipino culture.

★ With this post, the 2026 Honolulu Walking Tour to Filipino historical sites is complete! Did you find any of the US-Philippines relations seen in Hawai‘i interesting?

Don’t forget to check out! — the East-West Center, in partnership with the U.S. Embassy Manila, has
launched the second edition of The Philippines Matters for America / America Matters for the Philippines.
Download the booklet here: https://asiamattersforamerica.org/philippines