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Hawaii’s Pacific Centuries
For America's Pacific Outpost, Asian Influence is Nothing New
Long before Hawaii was a U.S. state, it was a Pacific nation.
Though the U.S. has only recently embraced a shift from emphasizing its relationships across the Atlantic to those across its western shores—see the rise of China, the Pivot to Asia, the idea of a “Pacific Century”—it’s worth remembering that America’s 50th state has had close connections in the Asia-Pacific region for centuries. This long history of trans-Pacific partnerships has profoundly shaped, and continues to shape, the islands’ economy, …