In this episode, we’re pleased to have had the opportunity to talk to Kishore Mahbubani, a Singaporean former diplomat who was Singapore’s representative to the UN in the 1980s and 1990s, and later Dean at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at National University of Singapore. Mahbubani is the author of ten books on Asia and the world, most recently Living the Asian Century (2024).

Though the book has a broad scope, we focused more generally on China in this conversation, given our remit. Mahbubani talked about the legacy of colonialism in Asia; how Singapore became a success story; China’s model of non-interference in the region; its peaceful intentions overseas and at home; and anti-China bias in the West — though we pushed back on all points in a lively discussion.

The China Books Podcast is a companion of China Books Review, a project of Asia Society’s Center on U.S.-China Relations and The Wire, a digital business platform that also publishes The Wire China. For any queries or comments, please write to editor[at]chinabooksreview.com.