2024 Geopolitical Summit Forum: The Prospects after U.S. Presidential Election

Kishore Mahbubani has had two distinguished careers in diplomacy and academia. He served in Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for 33 years, holding various key positions including Ambassador to the United Nations and President of the UN Security Council.
He received the President’s Scholarship in 1967 and earned a first-class honors degree in philosophy from the National University of Singapore in 1971. In 2004, he transitioned into academia as the founding dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at NUS. He has authored 10 books, including Can Asians Think?, Has China Won?, and The Asian 21st Century. His work has earned him global recognition, such as being named one of the Top 100 Global Public Intellectuals and one of the world’s leading thinkers by Foreign Policy.

Su Chi earned his undergraduate degree in diplomacy from National Chengchi University (NCCU), followed by a master’s from Johns Hopkins and a doctorate in political science as well as a master’s in Soviet studies from Columbia University. He was a research fellow at Harvard’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and worked as an editor for the World Journal in New York.
Returning to Taiwan, he held numerous roles including minister of the Government Information Office, convenor of the National Security Division at the National Policy Foundation, Minister without Portfolio, deputy-secretary to the president, minister of the Mainland Affairs Council, professor at NCCU and Tamkang University, legislator, and secretary-general of the National Security Council. He currently serves as chairman of the Taipei Forum Foundation. His publications include On the Brink of Danger (2003), Opportunities and Challenges in Cross-Strait Relations (2013), Twenty Years of Cross-Strait Turbulence (2014), Taiwan’s Triangular Dilemma (2019), and Taiwan's Choice in the U.S.–China Rivalry (2024).

A graduate of National Taiwan University’s Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, Lei Chien earned her master’s and doctoral degrees in communications from the University of Pennsylvania. She began her career at ABC’s New York headquarters, rising from a research editor in broadcast standards to become a Vice President—one of the highest-ranking ethnic Chinese in U.S. media. During her time in the U.S., she also served as president of the Chinese American Academic and Professional Society, vice president of the Chinese American Association of New York, and advisor to the Governor of New York. She was chief delegate of the Overseas Nation Building Council.
Since returning to Taiwan in 2000, she has actively participated in cross-strait politics and public affairs. From 2005 to 2008, she served as a legislator, convenor of the Legislative Yuan’s Judiciary Committee, deputy secretary of the Kuomintang (KMT) caucus, and deputy executive director of the KMT’s Policy Committee. Lei is currently Chairwoman of the National Women’s League of the Republic of China, sits on boards of multiple nonprofit organizations, and serves as executive director or board member of several listed companies in Taiwan and Hong Kong. She is also a prominent commentator on current affairs in Taiwan.