The summit featured a special lecture by Kishore Mahbubani, a former President of the United Nations Security Council and founding dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. As one of Asia’s most senior diplomats, Mahbubani recently published his memoir, Living the Asian Century.

Paul Por-yuan Wang, Chairman of the K.T.Li Foundation for the Development of Sciences and Technology, stated that geopolitics is the most crucial issue today. Taiwan, caught between the two great powers, is at the center of the geopolitical storm. Mr. Wang expressed his pleasure in inviting an international expert of such authority to offer insights on the critical geopolitical issues currently shaping Taiwan and other nations.

Mahbubani pointed out that regardless of the U.S. election outcome, China, under Xi Jinping’s leadership, is likely to experience another century of prosperity. The primary geopolitical competition today is between the leading global power, the U.S., and the emerging global power, China. He predicts that this competition will intensify over the next decade, with significant implications for countries and Taiwan, particularly in Southeast Asia.

Regarding Taiwan’s position in the geopolitical hotspots, Mahbubani emphasized that Taiwan must recognize the complex reality of the global stage and leverage its existing economic interdependencies, particularly with China and emerging economies, to maintain peace and stability. He cautioned that most countries, driven by pragmatic considerations, may choose to support the existing global order on key issues. Therefore, Taiwan should carefully assess its role in the U.S.-China rivalry and handle international affairs in a pragmatic and cautious manner to avoid unnecessary constraints in sensitive situations.

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