Asian Peace Talks

A major factor that prevents the US from pursuing greater cooperation with China are the deep and entrenched impressions held by the US body politic, its scholars and policymakers, on China, the Chinese government and its people.  Kishore Mahbubani's interview with George Yeo, Singapore's former foreign minister and a keen student of US-China politics, unpacks these speculations and brings out the divergence between these speculations and the realities on the ground. 

Southeast Asia is perhaps among the world's most diverse regions. Nearly every major world religion is represented here. Even within countries, the ethnic and linguistic diversity is staggering. Does Southeast Asia have a common identity underlaying all of this diversity? What does a 'Southeast Asian' identity entail? For our 3rd episode of Asian Peace Talks, we have with us the famous public historian and academic, Professor Farish Noor. Please join Professor Noor's conversation with Kishore Mahbubani as they unpack the 'Southeast Asian' identity. 

China and Southeast Asia have been interacting with each other for nearly 2,000 years now. Theirs is a relationship characterised by extensive maritime trade, transmission of religious ideas, mutual respect, and occasional conflict. To understand what future might hold, and to place the present state of affairs in a larger context, it is imperative that we understand our past and how it has segued into our present. To help us do so, we have with us the pre-eminent historian of China and Southeast Asia, Professor Wang Gungwu. Please join Professor Gungwu's conversation with Kishore Mahbubani, as they deftly condense 2,000 years of China-Southeast Asia relations and analyse how this impacts the present. 

Our first guest is Ambassador Tommy Koh, eminent Singaporean Diplomat, academic and intellectual. Professor Kishore Mahbubani and Ambassador Tommy Koh speak on a range of issues, particularly related to the United States' (US) relations with China, Japan and Southeast Asia, and what the Biden Administration can do to recalibrate them.