Tuesday, 3 October 2023 – The ASEAN Studies Centre at the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute held its 38th ASEAN Roundtable, themed “ASEAN in a Fragmented Global Order” on 3 October 2023 at the Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel. The aim of this year’s Roundtable is to examine ASEAN’s central role as the primary forum for dialogue and cooperation in Southeast Asia and its relevance in shaping the future of the region.
The Roundtable was supported by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung.
In this two-day hybrid workshop, 18 speakers share and discuss how China’s culture has transformed – and is transforming – in Southeast Asia. Topics deliberated over included religion, language, literature and performing arts. Revised papers based on this workshop will be eventually published as a book projected for late 2024 release.
The webinar discussed the political dynamics of Thailand’s new government, which had assumed office in early September 2023, with a view to analyze Thailand’s future policy and approach to the ongoing Myanmar crisis. The Myanmar issue affects Thailand’s foreign policy including its role and position in ASEAN.
In this hybrid seminar, Datuk Dr Marzuki Mohamad and Mr Ibrahim Suffian discussed the “green wave” phenomenon in Malaysia and the surge in Malay/Muslim support for Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) and the Perikatan Nasional (PN) alliance at the expense of Barisan Nasional (BN) and the United Malays National Organization (UMNO). Focusing on the youth and the electorate in general, the speakers presented their opinions and findings on whether this growing support was based on their ideological affinity towards PN, or other factors such as economic pressures and discontent with BN.
In this webinar, Mr Cuong Le, Dr Nguyen Dinh, and Mr Phat Nguyen provided initial insights into Vietnam’s National Power Development Plan 8 (PDP8) and National Energy Master Plan (NEMP) for 2021-2030, with a vision for 2050. They also discussed potential opportunities and challenges for all stakeholders, as well as the plans’ implications for Vietnam’s energy security and energy transition.