Page 16 - CSA Speaker Bulletin June 2019

Page 16 - CSA Speaker Bulletin June 2019 | CSA Celebrity Speakers

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CSA SPEAKER BULLETIN ASIA

Powerplay
Across
the Pacific

Kishore Mahbubani is a senior global relations
advisor and Professor in the practice of public
policy at the National University of Singapore.
He is highly respected both in the academic
and global diplomatic community, having had
a distinguished political career.

In Prof. Mahbubani’s latest economic: that China has undermined China’s political system will have to
book ‘Has the West Lost It?: A the US economy by pursuing evolve with its social and economic
Provocation’ he argues passionately unfair trade practices, demanding conditions. And, in many respects, it
that the West no longer can presume technology transfers, stealing has evolved significantly, becoming
to impose its ideology on the world, intellectual property, and imposing much more open than it once was. In
and, crucially, that it must stop seeking non-tariff barriers that impede 1980 for instance no Chinese were
to intervene politically and militarily, in access to Chinese markets. The allowed to travel overseas as private
the affairs of other nations. other current is political: that China’s tourists. Last year, roughly 134 million
successful economic development traveled overseas and back.
Below is a short summary from a has not been accompanied by the
recent article by Kishore Mahbubani, liberal democratic reform Western From an economic perspective the
where he talks about the challenge governments, and particularly the United States could work with China
to America’s dominance and the fact United States, had expected; and that to formulate a long term economic
that China need not be the threat it China has become too aggressive in strategy rather than creating tariffs.
might at first appear to be. its dealing with other nations. China is keen to deploy its $3
trillion reserves to invest more in the
Within about fifteen years, China’s In American eyes, the contest United States. America should also
economy will surpass America’s between America’s and China’s consider participating in China’s
and become the largest in the political systems is one between a Belt and Road Initiative, the Chinese
world. As this moment approaches, democracy, where the people freely governmental program launched in
meanwhile, a consensus has formed choose their government and enjoy 2013 to strengthen regional economic
in Washington that China poses a freedom of speech and of religion, cooperation in Asia, Europe, and
significant threat to American interests and an autocracy, where the people Africa through massive investments in
and well-being. Two main currents have no such freedoms. infrastructure.
are driving these concerns. One is

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