Kevin Rudd at Asia Society, Northern California

San Francisco, May 6, 2026 — The Honorable Kevin Rudd joins Asia Society Northern California and Seattle Executive Director Margaret Conley for an afternoon conversation and reflection on today's rapidly changing global landscape and the evolving role of Asia shaping the world ahead. The conversation begins with a callback to Asia Society’s establishment by John D. Rockefeller III and his vision of a common future between America and the countries of Asia amidst decades of war. During his previous term as President, Rudd interpreted this original mission into navigating shared futures—centering the opportunities for collaboration and cooperation instead of what divides countries and cultures into conflict and crises. Through this mission statement, he frames Asia Society as a “do-tank”, an institution that translates the vision of a shared future into reality by engaging with governments, corporations, and non-profits to become effective advocates and change makers.   As the conversation moves onto misconceptions about the current state of the world, Rudd underscores the importance of mutual, analytical understanding. Drawing from his experience as a politician, he notes people around the world have different perceptions of reality and how these perceptions are constantly evolving. For substantive conversation and negotiation, Rudd argues that it is imperative to understand how the other side in a given relationship thinks. He calls this deep and sensitive understanding of the other party the essence of an effective relationship.  Applying this knowledge and Asia Society’s mission of navigating shared futures, Rudd shares his thoughts on the upcoming Trump-Xi summit and the future of U.S.-China relations. Despite Trump’s tariff policies and disagreements related to the U.S. war in Iran, he states that both sides seek to see the stabilization of the relationship. According to Rudd, both countries have domestic issues and aspirations that can be benefited from bilateral cooperation. He describes the relationship between the two countries as “managed strategic competition”, acknowledging that there is competition but also highlighting that there are common areas of interest where they can collaborate. He lists public health issues such as cancer clinical trials, the development of a framework that develops trade, investment, and technology in a stabilizing manner, climate change, and AI regulation as potential points for collaboration.   Beyond policy, Rudd highlights arts, culture and entertainment as Asia Society’s other wing. He notes the rise of various Asian art forms in popularity, and affirmed arts and culture as an important front that the institution will increasingly engage with throughout its centers.