Conference Programming Tracks

+ TRACK DESCRIPTION

International relations are often characterized by political and economic policies, yet equally important to the discussion are social and cultural exchanges. Art, media, and culture have long been creative outlets for expressing a country’s unique history and affairs, and provide key insights into how a society grapples with change and identity. In our world today, art must balance the increasing influence of modernization with centuries of traditional narratives. On our interconnected platforms, art grows to encapsulate the culture, values, and struggles of a people.

Especially in the past year, Asians in art, media, and culture have taken center stage. The rise and popularity of Crazy Rich Asians, along with the global spread of K-pop, have dramatically elevated Asian culture and representation into mainstream media and transformed the dialogue around Asian identity and entertainment. Yet in Asia, censorship in the media continues to monitor journalists, filmmakers, and more, as policies tackle art with a political edge. We now face an interesting dichotomy in which censorship hinders the voices of creators, while unregulated media threatens truth and justice.

Art connected to the Asia-Pacific region undeniably holds the power to both unify and divide communities, and serves as an avenue of cultural exchange. Art, media, and culture are timeless platforms to change the global narrative and inspire audiences around the globe. Participants in this track will explore key creative sectors by hearing from renowned artists, critics, and creators, and gain a deeper understanding of their far-reaching influence in Asian and international relations.

+ PANEL 1: CRAZY FAMOUS ASIANS - ASIAN REPRESENTATION IN ENTERTAINMENT

The 2018 release of Jon Chu’s film, “Crazy Rich Asians”, marked a historic point in Asian representation in Hollywood. As the highest grossing romantic-comedy in a decade, “Crazy Rich Asians” found success on the big screen with an all-Asian cast– one that did not stereotype Asians into “nerd” roles, or constrain Asian entertainment to martial arts and accents. So how did this finally happen, and what has been its impact? This panel will explore the intersection between Asian culture and Western audiences, and highlight the importance of diverse storytelling from across the continent. From Bollywood to Kpop, we will learn how music and movies have spread from Asia to become popular worldwide, marking a pivotal shift in the perception of Asians and Asian identity in popular culture. Finally, we will explore the evolution of Asian entertainment from both corporate and creative perspectives, and understand the widespread and influence of its diaspora.

+ PANEL 2: MEDIA FOR THE MASSES: CREATING CONTENT UNDER CENSORSHIP

How do you uncover stories across the largest continent on earth? How do you bring to light cases of corruption and human rights violations under government regulations and censorship? These are questions that journalists must grapple with in highly-interventionist countries across Asia. Censorship is a real concern with real-life consequences, and governments play a key role in how news is covered in Asia. By speaking with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists in investigative journalism, we will learn about how journalists find and cover stories in Asia. Through the panel, we will explore what issues are most important to society and governments, and the steps and challenges of investigative journalism in Asia.

+ SEMINAR: ASIA IN DESIGN: PERSPECTIVES FROM FASHION AND ARCHITECTURE

Over the past decade, Asia has solidified its presence in the fashion world. Designers like Alexander Wang, Vera Wang, and Jimmy Choo have become household names and the choice of prominent celebrities and world leaders, and have also paved the way for Asian designers like Prabal Gurung to make it in the industry today. Across Asia, both the general public and designers care deeply about the art of clothes, whether it be through numerous fashion blogs or the prominence of fashion weeks in Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, and Shanghai. This seminar will first explore what fashion means to Asia, and how style encompasses culture as well as social trends and values. Hearing from industry experts will provide a perspective into the role of Asia in the world of fashion, and how it has entered the global stage in haute couture and otherwise. We will discuss how designers blend tradition and modernity through their pieces, and explore the legacy of Asia and its sociocultural impact through fashion.

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Having grown up in the midst of rapid climate change and exploding population growth, the current generation faces a myriad of energy and environmental sustainability issues to resolve in the future. In fact, should the global population reach 9.6 billion by 2050, we would need almost three planets to sustain the lifestyles we live now. However, despite the recent push to live greener and more sustainable lives, Earth’s resources are still being depleted much faster than they can be replenished. With the ever-growing global population, the rate of consumption is only becoming more demanding and immediate, leading to an unprecedented drain of energy and resources.

Going into the new era of non-renewable energy and more sustainable lifestyles, some major questions must first be addressed. First, how much longer and to what extent can our current finite energy resources sustain the growing population? Second, are we, as individuals, really fulfilling our responsibility to take care of the environment to the best of our abilities?

In this track, delegates will first explore the major issues of the scarcity of energy sources, unprecedented consumption levels, and the current problems associated with the growing global population. We will then examine if current solutions are effective in addressing these problems and the future projections of such solutions. Finally, we will reflect on an individual’s duty to protect the environment, especially pertaining to how small changes can be made for a combined larger effect.

+ PANEL 1: AN UNQUENCHABLE THIRST: THE DIRE SITUATION OF WATER SCARCITY

Over 1 billion people in the world still don’t have access to fresh water. Indeed, the issue of drinkable water has been a constant worry for various areas of the world. However, as humans greedily deplete natural aquifers and pollute other sources of water, efficient management of the world’s limited freshwater supply has emerged as a major issue as well. Since less than three percent of the world’s water supply is freshwater, emerging issues on water conservation and sustainability have never been more relevant than now, amidst the trend of exponential global population growth. Hidden between shouts of climate change and deforestation, water conservation contains many issues that must be addressed to ensure the survivability of the human race. This panel will first examine the current water situation and see what steps are being taken to alleviate any pressures. It will then progress to talk about the future developments of water conservation and sustainability efforts. Lastly, it will discuss more social issues of water scarcity, especially pertaining to the lack of awareness of the dire scarcity situation and human rights to clean water.

+ PANEL 2: MISSION FOR FISSION: THE FUTURE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY

With the overall world temperatures inching to new heights, there has been a greater and more frantic focus placed on finding cleaner energy sources. Having virtually zero-carbon emission and renewable resources, nuclear energy has emerged as a potential solution for the next era. However, while countries like China and India have readily adopted nuclear measures and implementations, incidents like the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster have caused Western countries to be cautious in voicing such support. As more countries begin to use and adopt nuclear energy, however, it becomes an unavoidable topic for future generations. This panel first explores both the pros (more efficient energy production, less greenhouse gas waste, less finite resource usage) and cons (accidents, possible terrorist exploitation, nuclear waste) of nuclear energy. It then proceeds to analyze current implementations and how the future looks for expansion of current solutions and application of innovative ideas.

+ SEMINAR: START-UP CULTURE ERASING ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINTS

The idea of an ecological footprint is not new, having been introduced in 1990 by Mathis Wackernagel and William Rees at the University of British Columbia. However, in recent years, many young people have started addressing this problem with their own start-up environmental projects. Yet, while the start-up culture has generally grown, many young people still have limited access to education on how to form and maintain a successful start-up. In this seminar, delegates will learn about the process of creating a start-up project, whether that pertains to financial challenges, social networking, or efficient marketing. In addition, they will tackle the problem of leaving an ecological footprint, especially pertaining to how delegates can use their individual projects to help societies reduce their ecological footprints. Lastly, concluding remarks will be made about the general direction of environmental start-ups for the future, including newer developments and resources.

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At the nexus of innovation and enterprise stands the power of technology and entrepreneurship. The ambitions of pioneers throughout history—Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, and John Rockefeller—have enabled world building to occur at unprecedented levels that have caused both disruption and growth, both hand in hand. Technological innovation surrounds us in all aspects of life, and has become the enabler of change and impact. Disrupting healthcare. Disrupting politics. Disrupting finance. But aside from the applications of technology, international relations must celebrate technology itself.

This track will celebrate the most recent advancements in human knowledge, including cutting-edge topics such as blockchain as well as new innovations in traditional business models. Recently, Artificial Intelligence has plunged itself into the heart of technological innovation. In fact, many Asian countries have developed and implemented technological advancements that have leapfrogged the western world. However, thinking of expansion outside of the Asian region is still a sore spot for many Asian entrepreneurs. This track aims to address the struggles that entrepreneurs in Asia face when looking to expand outside of the Asian market and will offer insight into strategies for effective growth into foreign markets.

+ PANEL 1: THE STARTUP ECOSYSTEM: VENTURE CAPITAL, SERIES FUNDING ROUNDS, AND SCALING WITH HIGH IMPACT TECHNOLOGIES

As the world embraces the technological revolution that has come to define the turn of the 21st century, startups as a whole are more rationally positioned to become enablers of change and influence. Asian markets, in particular, are at the epicenters of disruption; however, with the exponentially growing economies of China and India developing into hubs blooming with startups, more and more entrepreneurs are emerging with the need to stand out in a highly competitive Asian marketplace. By developing high impact technologies to address preeminent issues—both niche and broad–the focus of companies has evolved into providing pragmatic solutions that are affordable, easy to use, minimally invasive, and highly effective for problems consumers face on a daily basis.

With that key objective in mind, this panel explores the highly dynamic mesocosm that is the startup ecosystem, and celebrates the success of current “unicorns” by analyzing the corporate decisions they made in the early stages that have led them to dominance in the market today. By inviting industry leading speakers in the many areas of focus for Asian startups—venture capital, legal affairs, marketing, and growth—this panel aims to provide highly useful insight into succeeding as a startup, and ultimately, scaling a business for success in Asian and international markets.

+ PANEL 2: BUILDING THE FUTURE WITH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: AUTOMATING TASKS AND EMPOWERING HUMANITY

Throughout human history, the crux of innovation and progression of knowledge can be fundamentally categorized into three major revolutions. First—the past—the Industrial Revolution, which mechanized work and powered urbanization. Next—the present Internet-revolution, which became the powerhouse for interconnected globalization. Finally—the future, which many strongly believe rests in the potential of the Artificial Intelligence revolution, which is poised to enhance our ability to automate repetitive tasks, and decompose and process scientific data in a collectively exhaustive manner. Amongst the ASEAN countries of Southeast Asia, where manual labour and factories prevail, investments in developing artificial intelligence systems to enhance efficiency of manufacturing or processing systems have increased drastically—presenting a cascade of ethical issues. With many corporations serving as proponents of the thesis that machine learning is the future—the applications of artificial intelligence range across all aspects of industry and life, and will empower humanity to explore science’s unknowns at an unprecedented rate, while leading to trade-offs in other industries.

In collaboration with influencers from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, this panel brings together both the pioneers of A.I. who originally devised the idea in Lincoln Labs to the industry leaders implementing the technology in a diverse array of Asian companies. While exploring the applications of A.I. in strategic trading, diagnosing diseases, studying consumer behaviour, and automating supply chains to maximize corporate efficiency, delegates will draw valuable lessons about the potential of A.I which will translate directly into impacting the future of business in Asia.

+ SEMINAR: HPAIR VENTURES IN THE FUTURE

Technology acts as a vehicle change for the world, yet also has its caveats regarding centralization of power, and ethical usage of such power—particularly in Asian countries where government intervention often dictates technological oversight. Venture Capitalists are often required to be at the forefront of changing industrial trends, as their investments must make predictions onto the future of technological ventures and how they will handle the increasingly complex regulatory issues in the globalized world. To explore this, this seminar invites all delegates to a fireside conversation with leading venture capitalists among the technological world—yet with a unique twist. As our moderators fuel discussion with the venture capitalists, delegates will simultaneously be competing among their table teams in a rendition of The NewlyWeds Game through crowd polling/quizzing to assess the quality of the delegate responses to the insight of the venture capitalists on the future of technology, innovation, and navigation of the subsequent moral issues.

+ TRACK DESCRIPTION

The 21st century was projected to be the Asian Century, a time for Asia to play a much greater role on the world stage. For the most part, Asia has lived up to this billing, with a booming economy and an increasingly wealthy middle class driving growth. Yet Asia has been showing signs of slowing down as it approaches the next pivotal economic threshold. Amidst a backdrop of trade wars, stagnating growth, and artificial intelligence (AI) disruption, Asia needs to redefine itself and craft a new Asian narrative.

As businesses and countries adapt to changing consumption patterns and slower, more sustainable growth, the Asian market will continue to have wider implications for the global economy. In this track, delegates will hear from renowned business leaders, academics, and policymakers to analyze Asia’s changing role in the global market and explore ways for Asia to lead the global narrative into the next great economic transition of the century.

+ PANEL 1: SLUGGISH GIANTS: A SHIFT TO STABLE, SUSTAINABLE GROWTH

China’s rapid growth has seen the country’s share of world gross domestic product rise from an estimated 5% in 2005 to 18.7% in 2018. Despite this growth, China’s economic growth has been slowing in recent years, and looming debt problems and the recent trade war with the U.S. have contributed to worries that the Chinese economy is in worse shape than expected. China’s prominence as a market for other Asian nations has increased their vulnerability to a slowdown in the Chinese economy, and as China transitions from an investment-driven economy to a consumption-driven economy, neighboring countries such as Japan, Korea, Indonesia, and Australia are already feeling the effects of China’s slowdown. According to the World Bank, each 1 percentage decrease in China’s growth causes a 0.2 percentage point decrease in the rest of Asia. In light of China’s slowdown, what is the way forward for China as it experiences fundamental structural changes in its economy? What impact does a stagnating Chinese economy have on the Asian economy? What transitions should Asian countries make in response to China’s economic slowdown?

+ PANEL 2: PERSONALIZED SHOPPING: CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Asians are social shoppers, increasingly relying on social media to learn about products and directly interact with companies. For many, talking with sellers and buyers helps build trust in products and allay fears about counterfeit goods. For instance, 30% of Southeast Asian e-commerce transactions are started on social media and completed in messaging apps. Yet a look at the way businesses are tracking and measuring social media analytics shows that companies in the Asia Pacific are falling behind their peers in the US and UK. Marketing is becoming more personal, and generic campaigns, impersonal emails, and stock images no longer sway consumer preferences. In order to succeed, companies have to provide consumers with personalized, valuable content throughout the transaction process. This panel will explore why social media is vital to doing business in Asia—and, more importantly, how to leverage insights from social media to build a successful business strategy.

+ SEMINAR: TAKING THE LEAD: ASIA IN THE FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

Asia’s economic rise in the Third Industrial Revolution has been a remarkable driving force for global growth, but as the Fourth Industrial Revolution gathers speed, it is time for Asia to take the lead. The Fourth Industrial Revolution will incorporate disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and blockchain, technologies that are transforming economic, social, and political systems across the globe. While new technology can improve efficiency and drive down costs, it is often accompanied by unemployment, inequality, and social upheaval. This seminar will explore the Asian economy in the Fourth Industrial Revolution and find ways to integrate technology into existing market infrastructure. Key questions to be answered include how can Asia gain a competitive edge in the Fourth Industrial Revolution beyond conventional industrialization avenues? How can new technologies complement Factory Asia to drive regional development? What are key challenges and opportunities for Asian nations going into the Fourth Industrial Revolution?

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As the world’s two largest economies vie for economic superiority, the trade war initiated by the Trump administration has implications that reach far beyond just economics and trade, but into geopolitics and geoeconomics particularly.

As China continues to develop its One Belt, One Road signature foreign policy initiative, China has also been actively moving to defend its shipping routes, areas of strategic interest and control, and using the $1T infrastructure and trade initiative as an excuse to move its military, its goods, and most interestingly, its people around the Asia region, leading to a new chapter in the Chinese diaspora.

From taking control of the Hambantota Port in Sri Lanka to building up the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, to establishing its first overseas military base in Djibouti, China’s geopolitical moves are drawing both praise and criticism from around the world for its daring and bold actions.

Additionally, as China is figuring out how to transition its economy away from a dependency on cheap-labor manufacturing and onto State-backed initiatives like Made in China 2025, China has also begun to move its factories offshore to countries like Vietnam, Laos, and even to Africa.

As the trade war is shaking up the global supply chain, it’s affecting the geopolitical power dynamics in Asia raising interesting new questions like how does Xi’s Administration target Trump voters in the trade war? What does ideal free trade look like to different countries? Who will set the terms of global trade for the future?

+ PANEL 1: CHINA RISING: A NEW GEOPOLITICAL WORLD ORDER

China’s rapid growth has seen the country’s share of world gross domestic product rise from an estimated 5% in 2005 to 18.7% in 2018. Despite this growth, China’s economic growth has been slowing in recent years, and looming debt problems and the recent trade war with the U.S. have contributed to worries that the Chinese economy is in worse shape than expected. China’s prominence as a market for other Asian nations has increased their vulnerability to a slowdown in the Chinese economy, and as China transitions from an investment-driven economy to a consumption-driven economy, neighboring countries such as Japan, Korea, Indonesia, and Australia are already feeling the effects of China’s slowdown. According to the World Bank, each 1 percentage decrease in China’s growth causes a 0.2 percentage point decrease in the rest of Asia. In light of China’s slowdown, what is the way forward for China as it experiences fundamental structural changes in its economy? What impact does a stagnating Chinese economy have on the Asian economy? What transitions should Asian countries make in response to China’s economic slowdown?

+ PANEL 2: RACE IN SPACE

The new space race is getting more crowded every day. While huge state-backed heavyweights like NASA, the European Space Agency, the UAE, and CNSA are all vying for dominance in every area, private-owned enterprises like SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin are adding to the competition. With the recent creation of the United States Space Force, space has recently drawn sudden attention from governments and companies around the world. Among other topics, the race to Mars, orbiting space robots, and the implications of a space war involving satellite jamming and future warfare is a field that is difficult to predict, yet holds such weight in the future of global geopolitics.

+ SEMINAR: A NEW CHAPTER FOR THE KOREAN PENINSULA AND THE WORLD

The past year has been a flurry of unprecedented activity on the Korean Peninsula culminating in the Singapore Summit between Chairman Kim and President Trump, as well as multiple talks held between President Xi and Chairman Kim. With promises of denuclearization and the economic opening up of the Hermit Kingdom, what will China and the United States’ respective roles be in this new era of Korean relations? What brought Chairman Kim to the table? What does this mean for the larger Asia-Pacific region and global geopolitics?

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In the past few decades, many countries in the Asia-Pacific region have experienced rapid economic growth, a phenomenon that has incited both significant social change and rampant inequality. Factors such as income stratification, humanitarian crises, natural disasters, migration, and resource scarcity continue to influence the power dynamics between different countries and ethnic groups. Even within the same geopolitical boundaries, gender-based discrimination, religious persecution, and criminalization towards freedom of expression challenge campaigns for progress and nonviolence.

As globalization further connects and transforms the Asia-Pacific region, the importance of collaboration across the international community to address issues of inequality, human rights, and freedom is central to the development of an ethical humanity. By exploring the political, social, and economic nuances that drive demonstrations, persecutions, and human rights violations, delegates will gain a more well-rounded understanding of many controversial and pressing issues facing the Asia-Pacific region. In this track, delegates will examine the ideal of justice on a global scale, dissecting recent and emerging crises to construct a deeper understanding of effective responses to these complex issues in the future.

+ PANEL 1: RELIGION: VICTIM OF OPPRESSION, VEHICLE FOR VIOLENCE

Home to over 4 billion residents, the Asia-Pacific region includes some of the world’s most religiously diverse nations. With diversity, however, comes conflict within different factions of the same faith, amongst religious groups who align themselves with varying ideals, as well as between governmental regimes and politically powerful religious institutions. The persecution against the Rohingya Muslims continues to shock the world in a sweeping violation of human rights, while killings and other abuses target religious minorities in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. As President Xi of China aims to eliminate all expressions of the Islamic faith through “transformation” camps across Xinjiang, as well as the growth of the Christian faith by bulldozing underground Churches, we see religion as a victim of oppression across many countries.

However, we must also recognize religious institutions as vehicles of violence in the Asia-Pacific region, as many groups and governmental regimes continue to carry out repressive actions in the name of faith. In the past year, Sri Lanka saw an increase in Buddhist nationalist sentiment, fueling domestic attacks against Christians and Muslims. The Maldives government used the Islam religion to justify repressive actions, including plans to reinstate the death penalty and attacks against adherents to the opposition party. Pakistan’s laws persecute any individual for “blasphemy against the Prophet Muhammed”, laws that carry a mandatory death penalty and thereby limit freedom of expression for religious minorities. In this panel, we will examine the role religion plays in the Asia-Pacific region, discussing potential policy changes to simultaneously protect religious freedom and limit the capacity of faith-driven persecution.

+ PANEL 2: HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN THE FACE OF INSTABILITY

The new space race is getting more crowded every day. While huge state-backed heavyweights like NASA, the European Space Agency, the UAE, and CNSA are all vying for dominance in every area, private-owned enterprises like SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin are adding to the competition. With the recent creation of the United States Space Force, space has recently drawn sudden attention from governments and companies around the world. Among other topics, the race to Mars, orbiting space robots, and the implications of a space war involving satellite jamming and future warfare is a field that is difficult to predict, yet holds such weight in the future of global geopolitics.

+ SEMINAR: #METOO IN ASIA: BEYOND THE HASHTAG

In recent months, the #MeToo movement has been gradually making waves across the Asia-Pacific region. As thousands of women across the continent, from university students to actresses, have come forward to publicly share their stories of sexual abuse and harassment, a twofold response has met their calls for change, justice, and awareness. Largely facing the same obstacles — legislative inaction towards claims of harassment, stigma associated with speaking publicly on abuse, fortified patriarchal societies that silence cries for help — women must overcome dozens of barriers to simply propagate their stories, let alone incite social and judicial change.

Simultaneously, however, glimmers of hope continue to push the #MeToo movement forward in Asia. Activists have found creative ways to circumvent government censors by using memes and distorting screenshots, maintaining the digital presence of #MeToo and raising awareness about sexual assault and harassment throughout the continent. As public statements gain traction and more women are inspired to share their experiences, the world has seen the takedown of high-ranking federal and corporate officers, from M.J. Akbar, a top Indian minister, to Zhu Jun, one of China’s best-known TV personalities. Women across the continent have transformed the #MeToo movement into a larger cry for female solidarity, expressing frustration towards slut-shaming, lack of access to abortion, and domestic abuse. In this seminar, we will look beyond the hashtag driving #MeToo’s online presence, delving into the social, political, and legislative effects of the online movement throughout the Asia-Pacific region.