Conference Presentation, Panel
Charting the Way Amid Asia's Game of Thrones
- Curtis Chin predicts China's economic rise will fundamentally reshape global economics, with Chinese tourism and investment driving regional transformation, while advising investors to avoid speculative markets to capture significant returns in Asia.
- Curtis Chin anticipates the next US administration will acknowledge deep interconnection with Asia, hoping for bipartisan US-Asian cooperation and warning that inequality and technological unintended consequences pose greater threats than China itself.
- Yoshida Nakayama-san forecasts North Korean nuclear activity within six months, noting a potential threat reach within seven minutes of a button press, and warns that escalating military tensions between Russia and China in the South China Sea could cause a sudden economic downturn.
- Nakayama-san expects a strong Japanese economy to facilitate regional wealth sharing, plans to mobilize investors to manage Asian and ASEAN risks, and anticipates economic acceleration if risks are effectively managed, including a proposal to fund 100% of US forces' salaries and maintenance fees if required by US demands.
- Nina Shijian projects US military forces will comprise 60% of the Pacific inventory by 2020 and expects the US-ASEAN CONNECT framework to launch a major clean energy initiative, new financing for women-owned SMEs, and trade workshops for non-TPP ASEAN nations.
- Shijian expects ASEAN to play an increasingly vital role in regional geopolitics while maintaining its peacekeeping function as it approaches its 50th anniversary, noting the "Y.C. Lee" initiative has nearly 100,000 members and predicting continued integration without an "ASEAN Brexit."
- Shijian expresses confidence in the enduring US-Philippines alliance and anticipates a period of significant progress on agreements like the TPP following the US election, though Nakayama-san adds that Japan would request US troops to stay under such a scenario.
- Maria Ressa predicts a decade-long "tsunami" of information growth driven by technology that will dictate political power dynamics, forecasting that social media manipulation will create unpredictable disruptions.
- Ressa highlights a drop in President Duterte's approval ratings from 91% in June to lower levels within 11 weeks due to the war on drugs, warning of a "swarm" response to content challenging the administration and predicting a widening gap between official rhetoric and actions.
- Nakayama-san plans to invest in education for the younger generation to foster self-management and real peace, while Shijian and Chin note the "Game of Thrones" metaphor regarding fear of China and the moderator mentions ongoing auditions for a Chinese voice.