Asia's and Europe's discovery of each other dates back several hundred years and has undergone tremendous transformation. Their engagement was coloured by the history of colonialism, and interrupted by the heat of the Cold War. However, an important step to chart an equal partnership and deepen engagement was taken with the launch of the Asia-Europe Meeting in March 1996. The Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) appeared the following year as the most concrete manifestation of this newfound engagement and as an attempt to engage the civil societies of the two regions.Professor Tommy Koh, a distinguished and well-respected diplomat of our time, is Singapore's foremost “Americanist”, having spent about two decades in America, serving as Singapore's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and Ambassador to the United States. When he turned “Europeanist” on being appointed the Executive Director of ASEF, many of his admirers were surprised, but they had no doubts that his diplomatic skills and international stature make him the ideal person to bridge the gap between Asia and Europe.This collection of essays and speeches by Professor Tommy Koh were delivered and written in his capacity as the Executive Director of ASEF. It contains his thoughts on the three pillars of Asia-Europe relations: politics, economics, and civil society. Readers will find in this book his assessment of some of the key trends shaping the emerging world order and some crucial events affecting the transformation of Asia and Europe. He points to synergies between the two continents but does not hesitate to note differences in outlook which have to be recognised and respected. This book is an interesting contribution to the growing literature on a new partnership in the making.Tommy Koh is a Professor of Law at the National University of Singapore (NUS). He is currently Singapore's Ambassador-at-Large and the Executive Director of the Asia-Europe Foundation. He has previously served as Dean of the Law Faculty of NUS, Ambassador to the United Nations, the United States, Canada and Mexico. He has chaired the Law of the Sea Conference and the Earth Summit. He has headed a Singapore think-tank, The Institute of Policy Studies, and served as the first Chairman of the National Arts Council. He has also served the UN as the Secretary-General's Special Envoy to Russia, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, and the World Trade Organisation as the Chairman of two dispute panels.

Professor Tommy Koh is Singapore's Ambassador-at-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Rector of Tembusu College, Special Adviser of the Institute of Policy Studies, and Chairman of the Centre for International Law, National University of Singapore.In his distinguished career, Prof Koh has served as Singapore's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, as Ambassador to the United States of America, as President of the Third UN Conference on the Law of the Sea and Chairman of the Preparatory Committee and the Main Committee of the UN Conference on Environment and Development. He was the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy to Russia, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. He chaired two dispute panels for the WTO. He was also Singapore's Chief Negotiator for the US-Singapore Free Trade Agreement. He was also the chairman of the group which drafted the Asean Charter. He chairs three committees for the National University of Singapore relating to law, Asia research and environmental management. An active patron of the arts, Prof Koh has served as Chairman of the National Heritage Board, National Arts Council and many other cultural groups.In recognition of his meritorious public service and achievements, he was conferred many honours, both locally and internationally. He has been named as ‘Champion of the Earth’ in 2006 by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). Prof Koh has been selected to receive Harvard's 2014 Great Negotiator Award sponsored by the Program on Negotiation based at Harvard Law School (an interuniversity consortium of Harvard, MIT, and Tufts) as well as Harvard's Program on the Future of Diplomacy.This collection of Prof Koh's favourite essays and lectures gives the reader an insight into his illustrious academic and diplomatic career. The volume also includes his articles on diplomacy and international law, art, culture, heritage, nature and environmental issues.

The most remarkable phenomenon in Asia in the 21st century is arguably the economic rise of China and India. Amazingly, the two most populous countries in the world are uplifting millions of their citizens annually from poverty through rapid economic growth. What is the impact on the region, given the ascendance of China and India? There are at least two possible outcomes: the rise of the two great Asian powers may challenge the US and instill fear among the smaller countries in Asia, or, China and India will act as new economic dynamos that will benefit the region even if US economic presence in the region is to decline in the future. This book explores the opportunities and obstacles to a “harmonious” region underpinned by the rise of China and India.

This book aims to celebrate the many contributions of Professor Tommy Koh as a Singaporean diplomat, public intellectual and social changemaker.It is an account of the ideas and ideals of an extraordinary Singaporean public servant who was not only born with the talent and ability to traverse many areas of society, but one who, when given the opportunity, had the drive and ambition to make the most of it to create a better world for Singaporeans and the global community.Experts in the various fields of endeavour and people who have worked with him examine his significant contributions in essays that are organised in four main sections: Diplomacy and International Relations; Arts, Culture and Heritage; Progressive Society; International Law; and a fifth section that features tributes contributed by his colleagues and former classmates.Set in the context of Singapore — a nation known for its socio-economic progress, its ability to punch above its own weight in international relations, as well as its increasing appreciation for heritage, the arts, and sustainable development — this book illustrates the power of the individual and sense of agency that can create the systems and structures to achieve all those things. The story of Professor Tommy Koh as captured in this book should energise other change agents to go out and create the progressive, inclusive and sustainable world they want.An inspirational collection for general readers, this book reflects the spirit of Singapore's pioneer generation whose determination and tenacity turned the nation into the modern-day miracle that Singapore is today.

Asia and Europe provides a thorough examination of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) process which brings together the 15 EU member states, the European Commission and ten East and Southeast Asian countries.

This interdisciplinary book by a group of Asian and European scholars provides a deeper understanding of globalization as an historical process with special attention to the regional and national contexts. Globalization, this book demonstrates, has its roots in civilizational dialogues and interchanges.

The book presents a unique combination of the study of contemporary and historical practices between Asia and Europe and brings forth some of the latest thinking on the subject. Recent debates have centered primarily on contemporary aspects of the Europe-Asia partnership in terms of international relations and economic linkages. The present volume complements this political and economic interest in Europe-Asia relationship by focusing on the academic, social and cultural connections between t...

This unprecedented comparative study looks at the attitudes and citizens' perceptions of the EU in Asia, and, by 2009, has been undertaken in 12 research sites throughout Asia. In each locality, the project systematically assessed daily representations of the EU in reputable local news media, as well as the EU's imagery among the general public and the EU's vision among the national stakeholders and opinion leaders. Presenting the findings of this project, this book provides a systematic and detailed empirical insight into EU visibility in the public discourses of three Southeast Asian countries - Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines - the so-called "VIP". The data and analyses in this work cover 2008 and the first half of 2009, and it compares the findings with those published in Volume I, which examined the perceptions of the EU in China, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand.

Asia and Europe have become increasingly interconnected over the last few decades; this growth in mutual interest is due largely to their economic, political, cultural, and historical ties to one another. Due to the deepening relationship between the two regions, it seems natural to ask, “How is the European Union perceived in Asia?” This question has become very relevant to Asia-Europe relations, especially as the EU is the most significant economic partner for many Asian countries, while at the same time emerging as an increasingly prominent political and security dialogue partner for the region. This second volume offers a new and reliable insight into the perception of the EU in Asia.In 2006, the Asia-Europe Foundation and National Centre for Research on Europe (University of Canterbury) created the European Studies in Asia (ESiA) Network and initiated the “EU through the Eyes of Asia” survey. This unprecedented comparative study looks at the attitudes and citizens' perceptions of the EU in Asia, and, by 2009, has been undertaken in 12 research sites throughout Asia. In each locality, the project systematically assessed daily representations of the EU in reputable local news media, as well as the EU's imagery among the general public and the EU's vision among the national stakeholders and opinion leaders.Presenting the findings of this project, this book provides a systematic and detailed empirical insight into EU visibility in the public discourses of three Southeast Asian countries — Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines — the so-called “VIP”. The data and analyses in this work cover 2008 and the first half of 2009, and it compares the findings with those published in Volume I, which examined the perceptions of the EU in China, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand. EU through the Eyes of Asia is indispensable to policy-makers and opinion leaders in the Asian and European milieux, putting forward vital recommendations to the EU, Asian governments, the media and those managing relations between the two regions.