coverstory
3
Values, Conflict and Change LKY School Co-Hosts Harvard Asia Vision 21 Conference TEXT | Astrid S. Tuminez and Shlesha Thapaliya
Asia increasingly NUS deputy president (Research dominates the global and Technology); Huanming Yang economy. It leads in specific of the Beijing Genomics Institute; scientific endeavours and is forging Harvard Professors Arthur ahead with models of governance Kleinman, Dwight Perkins, Anthony distinct from those in the West. But Saich, and Tu Weiming; Prof. Asia also faces numerous obstacles. Randolph David of the University of Political and economic development the Philippines; and the school’s own on the continent is uneven, regional Dean Kishore Mahbubani. hotspots could flare into open crises, Panels at the conference focused and Asia’s ethics and values are on Asia’s role in addressing global being tested. At the Harvard Asia imbalances, biotechnology models Vision 21 Conference, co-hosted for development, values and multiple by the school together with NUS’s transitions in Asia, and governance Office of the Deputy President and stability. Participants also (Research and Technology), attended sessions on climate change participants took the opportunity and security challenges; Asian Islam; to discuss whether the traditional regionalism and the greater Mekong values that underpin Asia’s success sub-region; and flashpoints in Asia. will inevitably fall victim to it. First convened in 1999 by the Asian Values and Asia’s George Yeo, Singapore’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Asia Centre at Harvard University, Transitions the Asia Vision 21 Conference is now The conference also marked the first time that supported in part by the Rajawali Foundation AV21 focused on the role of values in Asian “Asia’s story in Institute for Asia at Harvard’s Kennedy societies. Tu Weiming, Harvard Yenching the twenty-first School of Government. Over the years, the Professor of Chinese History and Philosophy century cannot, conference -- dubbed AV21 -- has gathered and of Confucian Study, called for dialogue and must not, be and mutual learning between East and West, officials, executives, scientists, and scholars from Asia and America to examine long-term limited to economic urging both sides to “rethink the human” at a issues and concerns from the perspective of time when human existence itself may be under growth and the East, Southeast, and South Asian regions. influence. Leaders threat. He spoke of “great Western values” This year’s conference, held for the have become universal, including science, in the region must that first time in Singapore, was organised human rights, individual dignity, due process, debate, define, and and rule of law, but also emphasised Eastern under the theme “Values, Conflicts and deploy the values values of empathy, sympathy, compassion, Change in Asia.” A long list of prominent speakers were on hand, including: ASEAN that will support civility, and social harmony. Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan; Are Eastern values exclusively Asian, Asia’s development Singapore’s Minister for Finance Tharman or are they also universal but rooted in Asia? and foster Asian Shanmugaratnam; George Yeo, Singapore’s Tu argued that the “art of listening” must be leadership at the cultivated, and a new humanism developed. minister for foreign affairs; Hiroshi global level.” Watanabe, CEO of the Japan Bank for Such humanism must not be the 19th International Cooperation; Barry Halliwell, century variety, which championed mankind