SAVE THE DATE:
29 November 2023 (Wednesday), 16:30 – 18:00 (Singapore time) 09:30 – 11:00 (CET)
Roundtable on “The Future of Asia-Europe Cooperation”
Organised and hosted by ASEF.
Venue: Online
The Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) organised an Essay Competition in 2023 to commemorate its 25th Anniversary. ASEF, the only brick & mortar institution arising from the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) process, was launched in Feb 1997. Its main mission is to complement the ASEM official process in bringing about greater connections and foster mutual understanding between Asia and Europe especially amongst academe, intellectuals, cultural experts and practitioners, civil society and youths.
The Essay Competition attracted participants old and young from over 20 ASEM member states, and the result was a publication containing 68 essays expressing the hopes and expectations, concerns and doubts about the future of Asia-Europe cooperation.
The Roundtable on 29 November will feature four expert panellists – Dr Chheang Vannarith (President of Asian Vision Institute, Cambodia), Prof Evi Fitriani (Professor of International Relations, Universitas Indonesia), Dr Eva Pejsova (Japan Chair, Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy, Brussels School of Governance) and Mr Richard Werly (Award-winning journalist). All panellists have written extensively about EU’s or Europe’s relations with Asian countries and participated actively in various policy dialogues on the state of Asia-Europe relations. The RT will be moderated by Dr Yeo Lay Hwee, who has written extensively on ASEM and works closely with ASEF.
The Roundtable will be an opportunity for the panelists to share their thoughts on what truly stood out from the diverse voices on the future of Asia-Europe cooperation featured in the publication. Are there any significant differences between how Asians and Europeans see the construct of ASEM, the role of ASEF and their potential. Are the younger authors more or less optimistic about the future and the benefits of Asia-Europe cooperation? Are the more senior authors sceptical about what ASEM can achieve and the trajectory of Asia-Europe cooperation in the midst of rising geopolitical tensions? What are some of the prescriptions and recommendations for a more fruitful exchange between Asians and Europeans, and how they can cooperate address global challenges such as climate change.
Stay tuned for our registration opening soon!