Event Recap | Asia Briefing LIVE 2018
(L-R) Ed Johnson, Managing Editor, Australia and New Zealand, Bloomberg News, Haidi Stroud-Watts, Sydney anchor, “Daybreak Australia”, Bloomberg, Philipp Ivanov, Chief Executive Officer, Asia Society Australia, The Hon. Scott Morrison, Prime Minister of Australia, Senator, the Hon Marise Payne, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Doug Ferguson, Chairman, Asia Society Australia
Professor Minxin Pei, TN Ninan, Swati Dave and Steve Holmes at the Asia Briefing LIVE CEO Breakfast
Asia Society Australia CEO, Philipp Ivanov delivers welcome remarks at Asia Briefing LIVE
Aunty Ann Weldon delivers Welcome to Country at Asia Briefing LIVE
Swati Dave, Chief Executive Officer, Export Finance and Insurance Corporation and Board Member, Asia Society Australia delivers welcome address at Asia Briefing LIVE
H.E. Kwok Fook Seng, High Commissioner of Singapore, Richard Maude, Deputy Secretary, Indo-Pacific Group, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Jane Golley, Associate Professor and Acting Director, Australian Centre on China in the World, Australian National University, speaking on the Asia’s new geopolitics Panel.
(L-R) Haidi Stroud-Watts, Sydney anchor, “Daybreak Australia”, Bloomberg, H.E. Kwok Fook Seng, High Commissioner, Republic of Singapore, Richard Maude, Deputy Secretary, Indo-Pacific Group, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Dr Jane Golley, Associate Professor and Acting Director, Australian Centre on China in the World, Australian National University, Professor Minxin Pei, Tom and Margot Pritzker ’72 Professor of Government, Claremont McKenna College and H.E. LEE Baeksoon, Ambassador, Republic of Korea
H.E. LEE Baeksoon, Ambassador, Republic of Korea and H.E. Kwok Fook Seng, High Commissioner, Republic of Singapore chat at Asia Briefing LIVE
The Hon. Chris Bowen, Shadow Treasurer and Doug Ferguson, Chairman, Asia Society Australia chat at Asia Briefing LIVE
(L-R) Michael Heath, Australia economics reporter, Bloomberg, TN Ninan, Chairman, Business Standards Ltd, Heather Ridout AO, Chair, Australian Super, The Hon. Chris Bowen MP, Member for McMahon, Shadow Treasurer and Shadow Minister for Small Business and Sally Auld, Chief Economist and Head, AUS/NZ Fixed Income and FX Strategy, J.P. Morgan.
Guests take a break during Asia Briefing LIVE.
(L-R) Ed Johnson, Managing Editor, Australia and New Zealand, Bloomberg News, Swati Dave, Chief Executive Officer, Export Finance and Insurance Corporation, Mark Whelan, Group Executive Institutional, ANZ, Martin Tricaud, Chief Executive Officer, HSBC Australia and Steve Holmes, CFA Senior Portfolio Manager and Research Strategist, Queensland Investment Corporation
Philipp Ivanov, CEO, Asia Society Australia, Senator the Hon. Marise Payne, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Doug Ferguson Chairman, Asia Society Australia wait for the Prime Ministers arrival
Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Foreign Minister Marise Payne at Asia Briefing LIVE
Prime Minister Scott Morrison delivers his first major address on Foreign Policy at Asia Society Australia
Prime Minister Scott Morrison chats on stage with Bloomberg's Haidi Stroud-Watts
Sydney 1 November 2018
Last week we brought to life our newsletter, Briefing MONTHLY, with our first Asia Briefing LIVE - an executive non-partisan forum taking the pulse of Asia and Australia's engagement with the region. In partnership with Bloomberg, the event brought together 100 senior business, policy, and education leaders for a half-day deep dive into the geopolitical, economic, and business drivers shaping our shared region. It was addressed, among others, by Prime Minister Scott Morrison - who used the event to give his first major foreign policy address – Shadow Treasurer Chris Bowen, and international guest speakers US-based China expert, Professor Minxin Pei, and Indian Chairman of Business Standards Ltd, TN Ninan.
The conference was broken down into 4 major panels – Asia’s geopolitics, economics, business engagement, and Australia’s place in the region – with the rising threat of a US-China trade war at the centre of all discussion.
Stay tuned, join, follow us, subscribe to Briefing MONTHLY to keep informed, as Australia charts its course through difficult geostrategic and geoeconomic dynamics in Asia.
A look into Asia's new geopolitics:
China Pushes the World. Animation: Rocco Fazzari. View it here.
China’s influence is rapidly growing in South East Asia and the South Pacific through aid, investment, and military power. 90% of guests at Asia Briefing LIVE voted that we should accept China's rising power and try to work with it.
"You can’t expect to have a Cold War and a hot economy at the same time." Professor Minxin Pei, Tom and Margot Pritzker ’72 Professor of Government, Claremont McKenna College
"If we are going to point fingers at China, let’s look inward and get our own houses in order." Dr Jane Golley, Associate Professor and Acting Director, Australian Centre on China in the World, Australian National University
"People talk too much about the Quad. We need to talk about a regional cooperation concept." H.E. LEE Baeksoon, Ambassador, Republic of Korea
"I don’t see conflict between the Asia Pacific and Indo Pacific. It doesn’t diminish our ability to cooperate." H.E. Kwok Fook Seng, High Commissioner, Republic of Singapore
"America is our ally and that will remain. U.S. economic and security engagement in the region is in Australia's national interest." Richard Maude, Deputy Secretary, Indo-Pacific Group, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
MODERATOR Haidi Stroud-Watts, Sydney anchor, “Daybreak Australia”, Bloomberg
More insights and analysis on whether it's time for Australia to pick sides at Briefing MONTHLY #11 | Asia Briefing LIVE Special Edition
Asia's economies and markets in the grip of a trade war:
A fiery relationship between the US and China. Animation: Rocco Fazzari. View it here.
The panel of economists argued that if Australia does not refresh and reboot existing institutions like the WTO it might end up in a world that has two trading blocks, two currencies, and two Internets. This overarching U.S.-China binary was reflected in the poll - no-one at Asia Briefing LIVE voted that Australia will come out unscathed if the U.S.-China trade war continues to escalate.
India high tech. Animation: Rocco Fazzari. View it here.
There was talk about Australia recasting its primary economic partner as India. International guest speaker TN Ninan explained that this would require Australia to move beyond a simplistic binary of import/export and recognise India as a competitor.
"I don’t think that India is about to become a second China but it will be number two to China." TN Ninan, Chairman, Business Standards Ltd
"It (US-China trade war) could be worse than we might hope." The Hon. Chris Bowen MP, Member for McMahon, Shadow Treasurer and Shadow Minister for Small Business
"These institutions (like WTO) need to be reformed and take account of new players like China and India." Heather Ridout AO, Chair, Australian Super
"Global growth is dependent on the US, but rates are being tightened there." Sally Auld, Chief Economist and Head, AUS/NZ Fixed Income and FX Strategy, J.P. Morgan
MODERATOR Michael Heath, Australia economics reporter, Bloomberg
More insights and analysis on the "two unorthodox personalities conducting a new Cold War" at Briefing MONTHLY #11 | Asia Briefing LIVE Special Edition
Australia-Asia 360°:
China a Red Flag? Animation: Rocco Fazzari. View it here.
There was broad consensus that the Australian government has dragged China through its domestic policy with 75% of guests voting management to be clumsy and inconsistent.
The Huawei Blockade. Animation: Rocco Fazzari. View it here.
Australia's business engagement also came under scrutiny with concerns that it has shut its doors to Asia. Huawei was banned from rolling out 5G across Australia, and CKI Group's bid for gas pipeline operator APA faces possible rejection on national security grounds. 64% of Asia Briefing LIVE guests supported these lock-out laws, voting that Australia is right to protect its assets from potentially hostile foreign ownership.
"You're potentially looking at a balkanisation of the internet and the global trading order we've grown used to." Ed Johnson, Managing Editor, Australia and New Zealand, Bloomberg News
"Ninan's idea that India is now exporting as much in value terms as Australia exports in agricultural produce is going to be quite a shocking idea to the Australian agricultural sector." Greg Earl, Editor, Briefing MONTHLY, Asia Society Australia
More insights and analysis from Greg Earl at Briefing MONTHLY #11 | Asia Briefing LIVE Special Edition
Australia open for business:
Raising the Profile of Chinese Business. Animation: Rocco Fazzari. View it here.
Despite numerous concerns about rising Chinese debt, 55% of Asia Briefing LIVE guests see China as the biggest opportunity for Australian business. India came in second but with only 24% support.
"The Australian economy has had a great run, but complacency comes with that." Mark Whelan, Group Executive Institutional, ANZ
What is the long-term view? That is something you don’t see boards talking about." Swati Dave, Chief Executive Officer, Export Finance and Insurance Corporation & Board Member, Asia Society Australia
"China is a great opportunity because it is a diversification (for investors) but it is still hard to access this." Steve Holmes, CFA Senior Portfolio Manager and Research Strategist, Queensland Investment Corporation
"There’s no doubt that for Australian exporters, the future is in China." Martin Tricaud, Chief Executive Officer, HSBC Australia
MODERATOR Ed Johnson, Managing Editor, Australia and New Zealand, Bloomberg News
More insights and analysis on Australia's slow uptake of Asia at Briefing MONTHLY #11 | Asia Briefing LIVE Special Edition
A word from the PM:
Australia's Place on the World Stage. Animation: Rocco Fazarri. View it here.
Prime Minister The Hon. Scott Morrison MP delivered his first foreign policy address at Asia Briefing LIVE. The PM acknowledged the growing challenge in navigating relationships with both the US and China, but was confident that Australia could get on with "business as usual".
Morrison outlined that Australia's foreign policy priority is not China, but the Pacific, because “this is where we live.” He opted for more infrastructure development like the Papua New Guinea/Solomon Islands internet cable taken over from Chinese construction and closer work with Pacific countries on climate change and disaster recovery. The PM detailed how Australia would work with China in the Pacific in an effort to avoid upsetting the improvement in bilateral relations which now seems underway.
“We support the strongest possible US political, security, and economic engagement in the Indo-Pacific...but it is important that US-China relations do not become defined by confrontation.” The Hon. Scott Morrison MP, Prime Minister of Australia
More insights from the PM at Briefing MONTHLY #11 | Asia Briefing LIVE Special Edition
Read the full speech here.
This event was presented in partnership with:
