Join us for a conversation with Singapore’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs George Yeo and Dr. Kyung-wha Kang, President and CEO of Asia Society and Korea’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs. Having served as top diplomats for their respective countries in Asia, each will share their perspectives on U.S.-China relations -- one of the most consequential relationships for the region and the world. The conversation will also cover some of Mr. Yeo’s musings on other parts of the world and his thinking on a broad array of topics to include India, Southeast Asia, and more.

Speakers

George Yeo is 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. Previously, he was with Kerry Group in Hong Kong from 2012 to 2021, and was Chairman and Executive Director of Kerry Logistics Network from 2012 to 2019. From September 1988 to May 2011, he served in the Singapore Government as Minister for Information and the Arts, Minister for Health, Minister for Trade & Industry, and Minister for Foreign Affairs. He served in the Singaporean military as a Signals Officer, crossed over to the Air Force, became Chief-of-Staff of the Air Staff, and Director of Joint Operations and Planning in the Defense Ministry attaining the rank of Brigadier-General. He 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. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of several institutions to include the Berggruen Institute on Governance, International Advisory Panel of Peking University, Senior Advisory Council of Beijing Forum, International Advisory Board of Japan's National Graduate School for International Policy Studies, Global Advisory Board of MUFG, and the External Advisory Board of the European University Institute’s School of Transnational Governance. He 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, Salim Group and Wilmar International Limited. He has recently been appointed as a Distinguished Nonresident Fellow of the Contemporary China and the World at the Hong Kong University.

Dr. Kyung-wha Kang, Asia Society President and Chief Executive Officer, is an accomplished diplomat who served as South Korea’s 38th Minister of Foreign Affairs (2017 to 2021) — the first woman appointed to this post in the nation’s history, endeavoring to garner global support for South Korea’s initiative to engage with North Korea towards lasting peace and complete denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula. She previously held key leadership roles at the United Nations, including as Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator and Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, and Senior Advisor on Policy to Secretary-General António Guterres. Before joining the United Nations, Dr. Kang held various positions in South Korea’s Foreign Ministry, specializing in multilateral affairs and intergovernmental organizations. Dr. Kang holds MA and PhD degrees from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst in the United States. Her doctorate work was in the field of international and intercultural communication. Dr. Kang served as Distinguished Professor Emeritus from Ewha Womans University and is currently Distinguished Professor at the Institute for Global Engagement & Empowerment, Yonsei University.