An associate professor in the Center for Pacific Islands Studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, has been named one of 22 fellows in the Transpacific and Asian Dialogue on China. It is a new initiative of the Penn Project on the Future of U.S.–China Relations at the University of Pennsylvania.
The fellowship brings together scholars from the U.S., Asia and the Pacific, to examine changing geopolitical dynamics due to growing Chinese influence. Associate Professor Tarcisius Kabutaulaka said he hopes the initiative will lead to actionable policies for governments and other stakeholders to understand the challenges and opportunities presented by China.
“A lot of our discussions take place in academia but never make it into the policy space,”Kabutaulaka said. “This project is about creating mechanisms through which scholarly work can inform decisions made by governments and other institutions as well.”
He added that UH Mānoa’s unique role as an Asia-Pacific–facing institution strengthens the university’s relevance and importance in global conversations.
“My involvement in the project reflects not just my individual participation, it is the involvement of UH Mānoa, which gives the university and the islands we live in more prominence on the global stage,” Kabutaulaka said.
Kabutaulaka’s research focuses on international relations, Pacific Islands regionalism and natural resource development, and he recently examined geopolitical competition linked to China’s expanding role in Oceania. He also brings extensive practical experience, having served as a chief negotiator in the Solomon Islands peace talks in 2000.
The two-year initiative will include in-person workshops hosted by partner institutions in Singapore, South Korea and Australia beginning in June 2026.
