The purpose of the roundtable is to identify the most salient issues that might be suitable for in-depth examination by a Council task force on this subject. This series addresses a range of issues, including security, economic, environmental and social issues, affecting individual states in the region, the region as a whole, and major extraregional actors such as China and Japan, as well as American policy concerns, relating to those issues. Each meeting addresses its theme against the backdrop of U.S. policy and highlight current and prospective issues and challenges for American policymakers.