Regional stability in East Asia is under increasingly heavy strain. As tensions rise between the United States and China, veering towards a more hardened strategic competition that extends well beyond the current trade war, the prospects of US-China confrontation loom large. The region’s hot spots – from the South China Sea to the Korean Peninsula to the Taiwan Strait – remain potent reminders of instability. Meanwhile, a competition for regional leadership continues to develop through concepts such as China’s ‘Belt and Road’ and the ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific’. Regional competition is particularly visible in Southeast Asia, with clear impacts on both local and regional politics. The conference’s speakers will discuss these issues and more.
 

10:00 - Opening Remarks

Thomas Gomart, Director, Ifri
François Chih-Chung Wu, Representative, Taipei Representative Office in France
 

10:30-12:30 - Major trends and challenges shaping the East Asian regional order

Interactive debate moderated by Françoise Nicolas, Director, Center for Asian Studies, Ifri

• Yoichi Kato, Senior Research Fellow, Asia Pacific Initiative
• Joonhyung Kim, Professor, Handong Global University
• Cheng Chwee Kuik, Associate Professor, National University of Malaysia
• Jennifer Lind, Associate Professor, Dartmouth College
• Yuan-Ming Alvin Yao, Executive Secretary, The Prospect Foundation
• Feng Zhu, Professor of International Relations, Nanjing Univeristy

12:30 - 14:00 - Lunch break
 

14:00 - 15:30 - Southeast Asia: The emerging "great game"

Moderated by Françoise Nicolas, Director, Center for Asian Studies, Ifri

• Cheng Chwee Kuik, Associate Professor, National University of Malaysia
• Sophie Boisseau du Rocher, Senior Associate Fellow, Center for Asian Studies, Ifri
• Mumin Chen, Professor, Graduate Institute of International Politics, and Vice President for International Affairs, National Chung Hsing University