Asia Trade in the New Global Order: An Asia House conference in Singapore

Asia Trade in the New Global Order: An Asia House conference in Singapore

Asia House is assembling leading figures in global trade, investment, policy and technology for a major conference in Singapore.

Asia Trade in the New Global Order will focus on the drivers of change in the global economy, from high-level policy shifts to the ongoing digital revolution. Taking place in Singapore on 22 November 2018, the dialogue will cover some of the most pressing themes in the global business environment.

As the ASEAN Chair for 2018 and a major global trade hub, Singapore is at the forefront of change as the global trading landscape shifts. It is also consistently ranked among the best cities globally for innovation in technology – a major factor driving change in the global trade order.

The rise of economic nationalism, threats to multilateral trade agreements, and the declining influence of global economic institutions are all key to understanding the shift in global trade, and the new trade order now emerging. But other factors, including the disrupting influence of technology, are transforming the trade landscape. All of these issues will be discussed and debated at this important, forward-looking conference, held at the iconic Mandarin Oriental Singapore.

As with previous Asia House conferences in Hong Kong and Dubai, the dialogue will attract government ministers and C-suite business leaders offering predictive analysis on the emerging trends in the international trade and investment landscape.

View the conference overview

With influential speakers from international trade, an audience of more than 150 senior business leaders, and media from around the world,
Asia Trade in the New Global Order presents a major opportunity for sponsors to share their key messages with an engaged audience
of decision-makers and position their brand at the heart of the global trade discussion.

Find out more about sponsorship opportunities

The conference will attract an array of speakers from governments and global business.

8.30 – 8.35am:	Opening remarks by Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint, Chairman of Asia House and Michael Lawrence, Chief Executive of Asia House
8.35 – 9.15am:	Keynote speech by H.E. Chan Chun Sing, Minister for Trade and Industry of Singapore Minister Chan Chun Sing, in conversation with Michael Lawrence
9.15 – 10.00am:	Panel discussion on ‘The Shifting Trade Landscape in Asia and Beyond” Anne Ruth Herkes, Former State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy Luong Hoang Thai, Director-General of the Multilateral Trade Policy Department, Ministry of Commerce of Vietnam Dr Robert Koopman, Chief Economist of the World Trade Organization Dr Wang Huiyao, Founder and President of the Center for China and Globalization (CCG) Steven Okun, Senior Advisor, McLarty Associates
10.00 – 10.30am	Refreshment break
10.30 – 11.00am	Keynote speech by Dr Kai-Fu Lee, founder and CEO of technology venture investment firm Sinovation Ventures Dr Kai Fu Lee, in conversation with Michael Lawrence
11.00 – 11.45am	Panel discussion on “Creating a Digital Ecosystem” Kiren Kumar, Assistant Managing Director, Singapore Economic Development Board Sopnendu Mohanty, Chief FinTech Officer, Monetary Authority of Singapore Marcus Treacher, Senior Vice President of Customer Success, Ripple Syed Shahid Hussain, Managing Partner, Financial Services Sector for ASEAN, IBM
11.45am – 12.00pm	Keynote speech by Maya Hari, Vice President, Asia Pacific, Twitter
12.00 – 1.00pm	Panel discussion on “The Politics of the Belt and Road” Donald Kanak, Chairman of Eastspring Investments Gregory Hodkinson, Chairman of Arup Group Limited Professor Xiang Bing, Dean of the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business Goh Sui Noi, China Bureau Chief of The Straits Times
1.00 – 2.30pm	Networking lunch
2.30 – 4.00pm	Roundtable in partnership with Pfizer: “Innovation: the key to regional growth in Asia John McKendry, Vice President – Developed Asia Cluster Lead, Pfizer Vivek Pathak, Regional Director for East Asia and the Pacific, International Finance Corporation Paul Haverfield, Chief Technology Officer APAC, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Steve Leonard, Founding CEO, SGInnovate Find more information about this roundtable here.

Asia Trade in the New Global Order is free to attend, but attendance is by invitation only. To register your interest in attending, please email Joshua Lay, Business and Policy team, at joshua.lay@asiahouse.co.uk

Panel session 1 | The Shifting Trade Landscape in Asia and Beyond

Escalating trade tensions between China and the US have led to a trade war which is shaking up the global economic landscape. US President Trump’s robust language on trade, imposition of tariffs and criticism of the WTO are having an impact not only on China but also its traditional trading partners, including the EU, Canada and Japan. Threats of retaliatory measures and the damage of a global trade war are rattling world markets. These developments come against the backdrop of a shift of power to the East. China is presenting itself as a champion of free trade; the TPP has been reborn under Japan’s leadership despite the withdrawal of the US; RCEP negotiations are gathering speed; and Europe is accelerating efforts to complete trade deals with Asia as the UK prepares to exit the EU. This panel will explore the likely outcome of these events and how companies can best position themselves in the midst of these profound changes to the global trading architecture.

Panel session 2 | Creating a Digital Ecosystem

Advances in technology are redefining the way we live, govern, trade and do business. Artificial Intelligence, robotics, blockchain and big data are reshaping the world and our place in it. The pace of change is accelerating and businesses and governments are grappling with the ramifications of what has been termed the next Industrial Revolution. This panel will explore the digital revolution, with a particular focus on fintech and regulation. It will look at how government and industry can collaborate to develop digital ecosystems which will foster innovation, transform value chains, and drive trade and global growth more widely.

Panel session 3 | The Business and Politics of the Belt and Road

China has described the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as helping to ‘usher in a new era of globalisation’. The private sector has shown enormous interest in the initiative, and many governments have welcomed the much-needed investment in infrastructure. However, the BRI has been met with some pushback from a number of governments. The US and India have expressed deep concerns about the geopolitical implications of the initiative, while the ‘debt trap’ in which Sri Lanka has found itself has been seized upon as a warning of the pitfalls of the
project. The new government in Malaysia has suspended US$22 billion of China-backed BRI projects. This panel will examine whether China’s approach to infrastructural development is working, if it can meet the concerns of partner countries, and how businesses can adapt to these new realities.

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