Letter from NBR President Michael Wills
Dear Friend of NBR,
The world’s geopolitical center of gravity is now undeniably the Indo-Pacific, where power, risk, and opportunity are concentrated. Intensifying U.S.-China competition, deepening China-Russia alignment, and North Korean provocations in East Asia and now Ukraine are just some of the enormous challenges this region poses to the international order. NBR is uniquely positioned to assess these developments and their implications for American interests. As we launch this year’s annual campaign, allow me to share some highlights of our work in 2024 to help leaders in government and business better understand and respond.
Building on her work with us over the past decade on China’s grand strategy, Nadège Rolland, NBR’s Distinguished Fellow for China Studies, concluded the Mapping China’s Strategic Space project in September with a groundbreaking report on China’s vision for itself as a great power on the world stage. In May, I traveled to Taipei and Tokyo to discuss the impact of economic de-risking from China, sharing key findings from our latest Strategic Asia book Reshaping Economic Interdependence in the Indo-Pacific.
A forthcoming book from our long-running People’s Liberation Army Conference and a report on the implications of China’s military modernization led by NBR’s Senior Fellow for Asian Security Bates Gill address hard security issues. In his new role as Senior Fellow for Chinese Security, Roy Kamphausen, whom I succeeded as NBR president in July, continues to advise our PLA-related projects and serve as a mentor for our quarterly PLA Executive Education Course.
Our long-standing engagements with U.S. allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific continued in 2024. NBR research teams traveled to Australia, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, and Singapore for discussions on issues ranging from energy security and sustainable growth to Chinese military escalations in the Indo-Pacific.
NBR’s Energy Security Program celebrated its twentieth year, and we began a new initiative with our first Pacific Technology Policy Conference in Seattle, exploring advances in digital and data policies and other emerging technologies. We look forward to hosting the next conference in March 2025 and to continuing our work to bridge the Pacific Northwest’s vibrant technology sector with the tech policy community.
We were honored to host numerous policy leaders during our exclusive Chairman’s Council and President’s Circle sessions this year, including former President of Taiwan Tsai Ing-wen, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, and Rear Admiral (U.S. Navy, ret.) Michael Studeman. And as part of our mission to develop the leaders of tomorrow, I am excited about the growth of our Chinese Language Fellowship and other fellowship programs, as well as the launch of our new China Open-Source Research Course for Rising China Specialists.
Although I am in a new role as president, NBR has been my professional home since 2000. Since then, I have witnessed firsthand NBR’s enduring commitment to excellence and policy impact. Our work continues to be fundamentally important for policymakers. As we look ahead to 2025, I ask you to consider pledging a year-end gift to support our critical work as the nation’s premier independent and nonpartisan Asia policy research institution—one committed to a free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific.
Make an online gift today—and make a difference for tomorrow. See More Ways to Give on our website.
With gratitude for your support,
Michael Wills
President, The National Bureau of Asian Research