The rise of East Asia has caused massive changes in the global economy.  As trade flows have increased, the prices of consumer goods around the world have dropped.  But this flood of trade has also caused challenges, straining regulatory frameworks in the United States, and sometimes allowed unsafe goods to enter U.S. markets.  How should the United States manage and monitor the vastly increased trade with East Asia?  In the face of rising protectionist sentiment, how should the United States define its economic interests in the region?  To address these issues and more, please join Karan Bhatia, Vice President and Senior Counsel for International Law and Policy at General Electric and Deputy U.S. Trade Representative from 2005 until 2008.

To attend, please register by email to events@ypfp.org.

Karan Bhatia
Karan Bhatia was named Vice President & Senior Counsel, International Law and Policy, for the General Electric Company in March 2008.  Prior to joining GE, Ambassador Bhatia had served as Deputy U.S. Trade Representative since November 2005.  As Deputy USTR, Ambassador Bhatia was a key member of U.S. Trade Representative Schwab's senior management team.  His portfolio included overseeing U.S. trade relations with East Asia (including China and Japan), South Asia (including India), Southeast Asia, and Africa.  His responsibilities also included supervising USTR's functional offices handling trade capacity building, environmental, labor, and pharmaceutical issues.

Prior to joining USTR, Ambassador Bhatia was Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs at the U.S. Department of Transportation from 2003-2005.  In this role, he crafted U.S. international and domestic aviation policy, and supervised the negotiation of international air services agreements with more than 20 countries, including landmark market liberalizing agreements with China and India.

Earlier in President Bush's administration, Ambassador Bhatia served in the Department of Commerce, where he held the positions of Deputy Under Secretary and Chief Counsel for the Bureau of Industry and Security, the U.S. Government agency that administers U.S. export controls.  Prior to joining the Bush Administration in 2001, he was an equity partner at the law firm of Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering, where he was a member of the firm's international and corporate groups.

Ambassador Bhatia holds a bachelor's degree from Princeton University, a master's from the London School of Economics, and a law degree from Columbia University.  He has written and spoken widely on issues of international trade and transportation.  From 1999-2003, he served as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center, and is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations.