World in Transition: Singapore's Future by Professor Chan Heng Chee
Professor Chan Heng Chee’s lectures will examine Singapore’s place in an uncertain and fast-changing world. Covid-19 caught the international community by surprise, with the unprecedented speed and magnitude of the damage it has inflicted on public health and the economy. It has upended the way we work and live. At the same time, the uncertainty surrounding our world order remains. What will the continued US-China rivalry mean for Singapore? How will we see technology and trade shape the world moving forward? Is it all doom and gloom for Singapore? What about our circumstances might help us as we approach the new normal that lies ahead of us?
Lecture II – US-China Rivalry: Inevitable War or Avoidable War?
Professor Chan traces the United States-China relationship over the years. There was ambivalence on the part of the US, and the ‘strategic engagement’ was not without obstacles and complications. The relationship between the US and China flourished, overall, with benefits to both sides. Now, this period has come to an end. Professor Chan will discuss why the US-China working relationship has come apart, beyond the election of their current heads of state. She will look at their competition and conflict over trade and technology, and how this broadens, extends and spills over to other areas. Analysing developments in the South China Sea and Taiwan, she poses the question — is war between the two powers inevitable or avoidable?
Professor Joseph Liow, Dean, College of Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, will be moderating the Q&A session of the second lecture.
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