State of Asia

There is little to dispute about Asia's rise as a key feature of our time. Already the world's most populous region, Asian countries have steadily gained in economic and political influence on the world stage in recent decades. While in the past this development has been driven heavily by China, the next few years will see countries like India, Indonesia, and Vietnam expand their international clout.

As the balance of power shifts east, will the world order inevitably change? Asia is far from a monolithic actor, and for all the talk about an "Asian Century", there is arguably no coherent vision from Asia on how the global community should operate. And many countries, especially China, have benefitted from the current system, and might seek to adjust rather than replace it.
In this bonus episode of STATE OF ASIA, listen to four experts taking sides over the motion "Asia’s Rise Will Lead to a New World Order", as they did in an Oxford Debate in front of a live audience in Zurich on April 8, 2024.

Presenting clear-cut, time-constrained, well-thought-out arguments are:

• John Delury, a historian and a professor at Yonsei University in Seoul.
• Abigaël Vasselier, director for Policy and European Affairs and head of the Foreign Relations team at MERICS in Berlin.
• Julia Ganter, Programme Director International Affairs at the German foundation Körber-Stiftung and head of the Körber Emerging Middle Powers Initiative, based in Berlin.
• John Lee, director of consultancy East West Futures and a researcher at the Leiden Asia Centre.

Watch the entire debate on the Asia Society YouTube channel, and learn more about the speakers on our website.

Our Oxford Debate series offers insights into complex issues, presented in short and clear arguments. Find all editions here.
Stay up-to-date on all our activities: subscribe to the newsletter and support our work by becoming a member.
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STATE OF ASIA is a podcast from Asia Society Switzerland.
Season 6, bonus episode 3 - Published: April 9, 2024
Host and Producer: Remko Tanis, Programs and Editorial Manager, Asia Society Switzerland

While China’s largest neighbor India is expected to overtake China by population within only a few years, it is struggling in most other areas to compete with the other giant emerging country. The recent border clashes only led the already complicated relations to deteriorate. As for most countries, India will have to balance furthering its economic potential – that it will not achieve without China – and opposing a China led region by offering other countries opportunities to collaborate.
Your host: Nico Luchsinger, Executive Director, Asia Society Switzerland
Moderator: Nico Luchsinger
Speakers:
Tanvi Madan, Director and Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution
Samir Saran, President, Observer Research Foundation (ORF)
Shashi Tharoor, Member of Parliament for Thiruvananthapuram and author
Production: Serena Jung, Program and Communications Director, Asia Society Switzerland
Editing: Denise Staubli, Program Manager, Asia Society Switzerland
Sources:

• Asia Society Switzerland State of Asia 2020: The Indian Imperative, November 27, 2020
• Asia Society Switzerland Webcast 'The Relations Between China and India Have Seen a Stabilization, but No Resolution' , April 16, 2020
• Book Fateful Triangle: How China Shaped US-India Relations during the Cold War by Tanvi Madan, Brookings Institution Press, 2020
• Book Pax Sinica: Implications for the Indian Dawn by Samir Saran and Akhil Deo, Rupa Publications 2019
• Book The Battle Of Belonging: On Nationalism, Patriotism, And What It Means To Be Indian by Shashi Tharoor, 2020

Journalist and Musician Kunga Tenzin Dorji, known as Supe, talks about his homeland Bhutan – the landlocked country located in the Eastern Himalayas. Until the 1960s, the kingdom of Bhutan was isolated from the rest of the world. When Bhutan started to open up, it did not modernize blindly, as Supe points out. The tiny nation wedged between India and China was able to preserve its national identity, which remains visible in the country’s cultural heritage, and in its political and socio-economic systems.
Your host: Denise Staubli, Program Manager, Asia Society Switzerland
Moderator: Simona Grano, Senior Lecturer and Director of the Taiwan Studies Project at the University of Zurich (UZH)
Speaker: Kunga Tenzin Dorji (Supe), freelance journalist and musician
Production: Denise Staubli

Show Notes

• Phobjikha Valley – a spectacular wide valley in Bhutan at an elevation of 3’000 meters, where you also find the very endangered black-necked cranes
• Ema Datshi – the national dish of Bhutan
• Anthony Bourdains’ series Parts Unknown on Bhutan, who gives a good assessment of Bhutan
• The History of Bhutan, by Karma Phuntsho
• So Close to Heaven: The Vanishing Buddhist Kingdoms of the Himalayas, by Barbara Crossette, for a better understanding of geopolitics of Bhutan
• The Circle of Karma, by Kunzang Choden, fiction and quite revealing about Bhutan’s society and culture
• Asia Society Switzerland webcast A Closer Look at Bhutan with Kunga Tenzin Dorji and Dr. Simona Grano, July 1, 2021

Tomohiko Taniguchi was Special Advisor to Japan's longest-serving Prime Minister, the late Shinzo Abe.
He was the primary writer on Abe's foreign policy speeches, having joined the ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2005 after a 20-year career in journalism at Nikkei Business.
He is currently a professor at Keio University specializing in international political economy and Japanese diplomacy.

In this conversation, he talks about his worries for security in Asia; who he thinks is the biggest threat to the future of Japan, and why hope remains such an important commodity if we want to turn things around.
After listening to this episode, grab the opportunity to hear Tomohiko Taniguchi speak live, in person, at the STATE OF ASIA conference on November 10, 2022, in Zurich, Switzerland. He will be joined by many others of our trusted experts.
For more details, the full speaker line-up, and information on how to get tickets, visit our website.

State of Asia is a podcast series from Asia Society Switzerland. New episodes are published every other Monday.
Host: Nico Luchsinger, Executive Director, Asia Society Switzerland
Producer: Remko Tanis, Program and Editorial Manager, Asia Society Switzerland
Stay up-to-date on all activities of Asia Society Switzerland. Subscribe to our newsletter.

As India’s economy continues to grow, can the world’s most populous country truly replicate China's success of the past decades? Should India even imitate China? Maybe not, says our guest on this episode, Alicia García Herrero, Hong Kong-based Chief Economist for Asia-Pacific at French investment bank Natixis, and Senior Fellow at European think tank Breugel.
Alicia discusses the key differences between the two countries, talks about if the world is even looking for a new China, and provides insights on what economic policies could drive India’s continued growth, especially as the country enters a second decade under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
STATE OF ASIA brings you engaging conversations with leading minds on the issues that shape Asia and affect us all.
This is the final episode of this season. Expect bonus episodes over the summer. We’re back with new episodes early September.
Stay up-to-date on all events and activities at Asia Society Switzerland: subscribe to the newsletter and support our work by becoming a member.
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STATE OF ASIA is a podcast from Asia Society Switzerland.
Season 6, episode 6 - Published: June 11, 2024
Host: Nico Luchsinger, Executive Director, Asia Society Switzerland
Editor/producer: Remko Tanis, Programs and Editorial Manager, Asia Society Switzerland