Pacific Technology Policy Conference 2025

NBR’s second annual Pacific Technology Policy Conference will bring together key policy, academic, and private sector stakeholders for a full day of discussions on critical issues in the digital and technology domains. The Conference will feature keynote remarks from high-level government and business leaders, panel discussions with substantive experts from throughout the region, and a networking reception.

March 13, 9am - 6pm

K&L Gates, 925 4th Avenue #2900, Seattle, WA 98104

NBR is grateful to our conference sponsors Microsoft, The Korea Foundation, and K&L Gates for their generous support.

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Opening Remarks: Michael Wills, President, National Bureau of Asian Research

Keynote Remarks: Senior Microsoft representative [invited]

Panel 1: International Perspectives on Indo-Pacific Technology and Innovation Cooperation

• A discussion among key stakeholders from countries such as the United States, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom on their respective tech and innovation priorities, as well as the biggest risks and opportunities emerging from rapid technological advancements.

Panel 2: Tech Security, Export Controls, and Critical Supply Chains

• A discussion of the latest policies and developments around ensuring secure and resilient emerging technology supply chains, particularly with relevance to the AI ecosystem. This panel will also examine both recent and potential U.S. export controls, as well as the growing risk of retaliatory Chinese controls.

Lunch

Keynote Remarks: Senior Private Sector Representative

Panel 3: Next-Generation Batteries and Critical Mineral Supply Chains

• A discussion of the latest policies and developments around battery technologies and the critical mineral supply chains necessary to support this rapidly expanding industry.

Panel 4: Global Approaches to Developing Effective Cybersecurity Strategy and Policy

• An examination of how competing approaches to global cybersecurity policy impacts private sector implementation, innovation, and security.

Panel 5: Advancing Indo-Pacific AI Governance

• A conversation on how to advance AI governance and shared AI objectives in the Indo-Pacific, including through collaboration between key countries’ AI Safety Institutes and multilateral efforts such as the Hiroshima AI Process.

Keynote Remarks: Senior government representative [invited]

Networking Reception

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Panelists include:

Jungmi Cha

Dr. Jungmi Cha is the Director of the Center for International Strategies at the National Assembly Futures Institute. Her research focuses on international strategy, U.S.-China relations, East Asian relations, technology, and Chinese politics and diplomacy. She holds a Ph.D and M.A. in Political Science from Yonsei University.

Andrew Grotto

Andrew Grotto is a research scholar at the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University. Prior to his role at Stanford, he served as Senior Director for Cybersecurity Policy at the White House under the Obama and Trump Administrations. Grotto’s research interests center on the national security and international economic dimensions of America’s global leadership in information technology innovation, and its growing reliance on this innovation for its economic and social life.

Robert Holleyman

Ambassador Robert Holleyman served as Deputy United States Trade Representative from 2014-2017. He was responsible for U.S. trade and investment relations in Asia, including the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC), China, and India. He led USTR’s focus on the digital economy and U.S. negotiating priorities around digital trade, and also represented USTR on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. He was previously appointed by President Obama to serve as a member of the U.S. Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations, and is currently a member of the Board of Advisors at NBR.

Tami Overby

Tami Overby is a Senior Advisor in the East Asia & Pacific practice of Dentons Global Advisors-Albright Stonebridge Group (ASG) and a member of the Board of Advisors at the National Bureau of Asian Research. Ms. Overby advises clients on Asian investment and trade matters, with a particular focus on Korea. Her Asia expertise was first cultivated during her 20-plus years living and working in Seoul, Korea, during which time she served as as President of the U.S.-Korea Business Council and as President of AMCHAM Korea. After returning to the United States to lead the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Asia Practice, she spent four years with McLarty Associates before joining ASG. Her bilateral and multilateral experiences include the Trans-Pacific Partnership FTA, APEC, and the KORUS FTA.

Sangmin Shim

Sangmin Shim is a professor at the Graduate School of Green Growth and Sustainability at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST). Prior to his current position at KAIST he worked as a research fellow at the Asan Institute of Policy Studies, a visiting research fellow at the Sejong Institute, and an assistant professor of international law at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy (KNDA). He also served as visiting scholar at the Environmental Law Institute, a private think tank that conducts research on issues of international environmental law. Dr. Shim’s legal educational background includes JSD and JSM degrees from Stanford University and a BA and MA in law from Seoul National.

John VerWey

John VerWey is an advisor in the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s (PNNL) Global Security, Technology and Policy group. In this role he supports U.S. government sponsor efforts to protect and promote critical technologies for economic and national security. His work at PNNL focuses on supply chain security, investment screening, export controls, and defense industrial base integrity. He is also a Nonresident Fellow at NBR.

Charlie Vest

Charlie Vest is an Associate Director on Rhodium Group’s corporate advisory team, where he supports Rhodium Group’s research for corporate clients on the Chinese economy and U.S. tech and economic policy. Charlie holds a Master’s degree in Chinese Economic and Political Affairs from UC San Diego and a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from Colorado State University. Charlie is a Nonresident Fellow at the National Bureau of Asian Research. Previously, he worked in Beijing as a researcher at the China Energy Storage Alliance, a clean energy trade association.

Mungo Woodifield

Mungo Woodifield serves as the Minister Counsellor for Trade and Global Issues at the British Embassy to the United States. Mr Woodifield is responsible for overseeing the UK Government’s work across the United States on trade, economic security, agriculture, energy, climate, environment, transport, science, and technology. Prior to this role, Mr. Woodifield served as Spokesperson and Counsellor at the UK Mission to the United Nations in New York from 2019 to 2024, and as Strategic Affairs Counsellor at the British Embassy to France from 2015 to 2019.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

K&L Gates LLP, 925 4th Avenue, Seattle, United States