The Straits Times | Highlights from Asia Future Summit 2023 - video Dailymotion

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Asia Future Summit 2023 in Singapore saw 300 delegates listening to over 20 speakers discussing the role Asia can play in the world and what lies ahead in a fast-changing geopolitical and economic landscape.  WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline

Transcript

00:00 [MUSIC]

00:10 >> The US-China relation.

00:15 >> Taiwan.

00:16 >> Taiwan.

00:17 >> Climate change.

00:17 >> AI.

00:18 >> We have a phrase called POFMA.

00:20 It has become a verb.

00:22 I can POFMA you.

00:23 >> Don't say we cannot do anything.

00:25 You can help the formula.

00:26 Just become the direction.

00:28 And it doesn't have to be tomorrow.

00:31 >> As diplomats, you're supposed to say something when there's nothing to say.

00:34 >> [LAUGH]

00:37 [MUSIC]

00:42 >> Have you ever asked yourselves, what would Lee Kuan Yew do?

00:45 What would he have said?

00:46 And does that provide some sort of guidance for you as well?

00:51 >> He would share his views, but

00:56 he would always say, you decide.

00:59 Because you are in the driving seat now.

01:02 You have to make the decisions.

01:04 >> In my several occasions in talking to him,

01:07 I feel that he's very honest and straightforward.

01:10 >> In Chinese, we should say, [FOREIGN]

01:16 >> He was asked by some journalists

01:21 once what he thought of himself as this world statesman.

01:26 And he said, statesman, I'm not a statesman.

01:30 I just work hard.

01:32 I'm consistent and I'm persistent.

01:35 I want to get things done.

01:37 That is all.

01:38 Then he added, and anyone who thinks he's a statesman should see a psychiatrist.

01:45 >> [LAUGH]

01:53 >> Wang Qishan took us out to

01:55 the courtyard and looked at us and said to me, he said,

02:00 [FOREIGN]

02:08 >> The world need to realize that we are at a very,

02:12 very dangerous moment.

02:16 >> I'm very pessimistic because I think leaders with thin skin and

02:20 men's in the one tee, they get painted into corners where they have to act.

02:25 It's very dangerous.

02:28 >> I feel very, very strongly that all of our diplomatic efforts,

02:34 whether they're from the United States, from People's Republic of China,

02:41 and from other countries including Singapore and Australia,

02:46 should be directed towards keeping the temperature of relations

02:51 between mainland China and the United States as low as possible.

02:56 [MUSIC]

03:05 >> How do you see generative AI?

03:08 Do you think it's a good thing for human beings, for our society?

03:13 >> You can't put the genie back into the bottle.

03:15 When they, I think many of us have watched the movie Oppenheimer.

03:20 It began with Prometheus, who stole fire and

03:26 was punished because fire can do a lot of good,

03:31 but can also kill and destroy humanity.

03:35 AI is the same, we can't un-invent fire.

03:38 It's out, we've got to live with it, our moral sense has got to catch up with it.

03:44 But you'll be abused.

03:45 Assume that you'll be abused, but it's also capable of doing great good.

03:49 [MUSIC]

03:55 >> Number one, those who can collaborate with environment will flourish.

04:00 >> We study nuclear carefully, we open the page, we look at it,

04:06 we look at it, we look at it, we keep looking at it.

04:09 And when nuclear is safe enough, we will consider it seriously.

04:17 But we are seriously alternative energy disadvantaged.

04:22 >> How can a small country like Singapore play its part

04:28 when actually it cannot make that much of an impact by itself?

04:33 >> We are an insignificant part of global emissions, like 0.5% or less.

04:40 So even if we all stop breathing, it won't save the world.

04:43 >> [LAUGH]

04:46 >> That's the reality.

04:48 And yet, we all have to do our part.

04:50 [MUSIC]

04:59 >> Will China use force to take over Taiwan?

05:01 Well, it depends on what Taiwan does.

05:08 >> For those of you who are concerned about a situation, not just Asia, but

05:14 also the world, to encourage Taiwan and mainland China to meet, to have a dialogue,

05:20 and to try to find out a solution.

05:23 >> We are very happy on two occasions to play host in Singapore.

05:26 If the circumstances just dictate further meetings in future,

05:36 we'll be very happy to be the party sitting there, providing the room and pouring the tea.

05:40 >> [LAUGH]

05:42 [MUSIC]

05:52 (upbeat music)

05:54 [MUSIC]

The Straits Times | Highlights from Asia Future Summit 2023

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