Cross-Strait Relations from a Singaporean’s Perspective

The 2024 presidential election is approaching, and the cross-strait stance of each candidate’s camp has been the focus of attention. Will “war and peace” be the main theme of this election? What will the future of cross-strait relations be? Singapore, which has played a crucial role between the two sides on multiple occasions, how does it view the future development of cross-strait relations? The Fair Winds Foundation, Lee Kuan Yew Technology Development Foundation, and Taiwan Yushan Science and Technology Association have invited Mr. George Yong-Boon Yeo, former Singaporean Minister of Foreign Affairs, to deliver a keynote speech on “Cross-Strait Relations from a Singaporean’s Perspective”. In addition to the keynote speech, this forum will be moderated by Professor Kuan Chung-Min (Distinguished Chair Professor at National Taiwan University; former President of NTU), and Mr. Lin Yong-Le, Chairman of the Association of Foreign Relations and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Professor Philip Hsu (Professor of Political Science at National Taiwan University; Director of the Center for China Studies at NTU) will join Mr. Yeo in a deep discussion on cross-strait relations.

Event Information

Time: Wednesday, September 13, 2023 9 AM—2 PM

Venue: International Conference Hall, Center for Public and Business Administration Education, National Chengchi University (2F, No. 187, Jinhua St., Da’an Dist., Taipei City 106)

Main Organizer: Fair Winds Foundation, Lee Kuan Yew Technology Development Foundation, Taiwan Yushan Science and Technology Association

Co-organizers: MaiCoin Group, Hsu Tsung-mao Gallery, Association of Foreign Relations, Center for Applied and Theoretical Studies at National Taiwan University

1. Keynote Speaker: George Yong-Boon Yeo (Former Singaporean Minister of Foreign Affairs)
   
   George Yeo is currently a Visiting Scholar at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy of the National University of Singapore, and the Founding Patron of its Asia Competitiveness Institute.
   Mr. Yeo was with Kerry Group in Hong Kong from 2012 to 2021. He was Chairman and Executive Director of Kerry Logistics Network from 2012 to 2019.
   
   From September 1988 to May 2011, he served 23 years in the Singapore Government, and was Minister for Information and the Arts, Minister for Health, Minister for Trade & Industry and Minister for Foreign Affairs.
   Mr. Yeo has a BA in Engineering (Double First) from Cambridge University and an MBA (Baker Scholar) from Harvard University.
   He began his military career as a Signals Officer in the Singapore Army, crossed over to the Air Force, became Chief-of-Staff of the Air Staff, and Director of Joint Operations and Planning in the Defence Ministry attaining the rank of Brigadier-General.
   Mr. Yeo was a Member of the Pontifical Commission for Reference on the Economic-Administrative Structure of the Holy See in 2013-2014 and the Vatican Council for the Economy from February 2014 to July 2020.

Mr. Yeo is a member of the Board of Trustees of Berggruen Institute on Governance, International Advisory Panel of Peking University, Senior Advisory Council of Beijing Forum, International Advisory Board of IESE Business School, International Advisory Council of China's Eco Forum Global Guiyang, International Advisory Board of Japan's National Graduate School for International Policy Studies (GRIPS), Global Advisory Board of MUFG, the External Advisory Board of the European University Institute's School of Transnational Governance and the Board of Governors of the Singapore Manufacturing Federation. Mr Yeo is an Independent Non-Executive Director of AIA Group listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Pinduoduo listed on NASDAQ and Creative Technology listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange. He is an advisor to Brunswick for its Geopolitical Initiative, Singapore's V3 Group, Huawei International Pte Ltd in Singapore, Winning International Group and Gurin Energy Group and Salim Group.
Mr. Yeo was the Conference Chairman of the Singapore Summit from 2012 to 2016.

2. Moderator Kuan Chung-Min (Distinguished Chair Professor at National Taiwan University; former President of National Taiwan University)
   
   An economist by training, Kuan graduated from the Department of Economics, Chinese Culture University in 1978. Kuan received his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California San Diego in 1989. Specializes in econometric theory and empirical research. He has served as an assistant professor and tenured associate professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, a full professor in the Department of Economics at National Taiwan University, a special research fellow and director of the Institute of Economics at Academia Sinica, a distinguished chair professor and special professor in the Department of Finance at National Taiwan University. He has received the National Science Council’s Outstanding Research Award, the Lee Kuan Yew Distinguished Visitors Programme, the Ministry of Education’s Academic Award, and the Ministry of Education’s National Chair Professorship. He was elected an academician of Academia Sinica in 2002. In 2012, he was appointed as a member of the Executive Yuan’s National Policy Advisory Group, and the following year, he was appointed as the Chairman of the Economic Development Committee. He subsequently became the first Chairman of the National Development Council after the restructuring. In 2018, he was elected as the President of National Taiwan University, and took office a year later. He completed his term in early 2023 and is currently a Distinguished Chair Professor at National Taiwan University.

3. Discussant David Lin (Chairman of the Association of Foreign Relations)
   
   Experience
   Representative of the Taipei Representative Office in the UK Minister of Foreign Affairs Representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the EU and Belgium Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Director-General of the Department of International Organizations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Indonesia Director-General of the Department of European Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ambassador to Grenada and Ambassador to the Embassy of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Director of the Houston Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
   
   Education
   Master of Science in Foreign Service,
   Georgetown University Master of International Trade, National Chengchi University Bachelor of Business Administration, National Chengchi University
    

4. Discussant Philip Hsu (Professor of Political Science at National Taiwan University; Director of the Center for China Studies at National Taiwan University)
   
   Hsu is a Ph.D. graduate of the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver. He is currently a professor of political science at National Taiwan University and the director of the Center for China Studies at National Taiwan University. He is also a supervisor of the Chinese Political Science Association, an editorial board member of the Journal of Political Science, and an editorial board member of the Journal of China Studies. He has served as the chairman and secretary-general of the Chinese Political Science Association, a member of the International Relations Association of Taiwan, a consultant of the Mainland Affairs Council, an advisor of the Straits Exchange Foundation, and the executive editor of the Journal of Political Science. His research interests include comparative politics and political-economic analysis of China, political economy, international relations, and Asia-Pacific economic cooperation and security issues. His academic papers have been published in The Pacific Review, Australian Journal of Public Administration, Journal of Contemporary China, Cambridge Review of International Affairs, Issues & Studies, etc. His edited books include: In Search of China’s Development Model: Beyond the Beijing Consensus (New York: Routledge, 2010) (co-edited with Wu Yu-shan and Zhao Sui-sheng), Public Administration, Disaster Prevention and Relief, and Crisis Management (Beijing: Social Sciences Academic Press, 2012) (co-edited with Zhao Yong-mao, Xie Qing-kui, and Zhang Si-ming), Democracy, Democratization, and Governance Performance (Hangzhou: Zhejiang University Press, 2010) (co-edited with Yu Hsun-ta), East Asian Regional Economic Integration and the ECFA Effect: Taiwan-Korea Business Competition and Challenge in the Mainland Market (Taipei: INK Publishing, 2011) (co-edited with Chen De-sheng).